


Her Mother's Eyes

by TheMechaBecca



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Alcoholic Roy Mustang, Alphonse Elric didn't deserve this shit, Body Horror, Branding, F/M, Graphic Violence, Hiding in Plain Sight, I'm talking about periods and pregnancy, No one deserved this shit, Now everyone is fucked, Physical Torture, Roy is a sweetheart, Suicide Attempt, Those things, Universe Alternate 03, Unplanned Pregnancy, Women Disguised As Men, execution in the military, female alchemists are banned because they can't transmute when lady things happen, this shit is daaaark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2018-08-21 20:17:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 104,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8259317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMechaBecca/pseuds/TheMechaBecca
Summary: In a slight AU of 03, women have been banned from attaining state alchemist positions, both periods and pregnancy affecting their ability to transmute. Women who seek roles in the military involving alchemy must disguise themselves as men. Those who are caught attempting this publically executed, and Edward has become…almost indifferent to the displays. A twist of fate sends Ed and Roy on a mission together and after what can only be described as a shocking discovery, the two are caught in a spiral that will test their loyalty to the military as well as each other.Tags are subject to change, and THEY WILL CHANGE. THIS GETS REALLY DARK. ENJOY!Soundtrack:Chapters 2-4: Enemy Fire by Bea MillerChapters 5-8: Human by Christina PerriChapter 9: One Call Away by Charlie PuthChapter 10: Stand by You by Rachel PlattenChapter 14: The Light by Album LeafChapter 16: Break Me by Allison GrayChapter 17: Fall for You by Secondhand SerenadeChapter 19: Alchemy by Above and BeyondChapter 20: I Found by Amber RunChapter 21: Devil Devil by MilckChapter 26: Skeletons by Megan Jean and the KFBChapter 32: Burn by the Pretty Reckless





	1. Prologue

Let it be known that on the day Diana Hess was shot down, the rest of nature only seemed to be interested in life. It wasn’t really fair that she was executed in the spring, with its fresh air and cheery colors. The backdrop of blooming trees and chirruping birds seemed to mock the tone of the whole situation entirely. 

The sight of her on her knees and blindfolded before the firing squad seemed inconsistent.

Edward Elric, of alchemy fame, sat in the stands among the rest of the military officials. While the public was invited to see these public executions, soldiers seemed to be the distinct majority at these sorts of things. There were a few passers-by with a morbid interest, but the overall amount of attendees was surprisingly low. Honestly, Ed didn’t know why he was there in the first place.

He had his attention on buffing out a particularly interesting scratch on his automail when Riza Hawkeye awkwardly sidled up to him.

“Hey, Ed. You get dragged to this one too?” Her voice was a harsh whisper. She wouldn’t dare ruin the semblance of sadness the scene carried. Despite her tone, the crowd seemed to shift under her words. Apparently they hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“What’s it look like? They drag me to all these things.” It looked like the scratch wouldn’t buff out. He looked directly into Riza’s eyes, noticing her unease for the first time. “What’s up with you?”

The corners of her lips creased at the boy’s seeming disinterest. Was he that good at burying distress? “...well, I knew her. I mean, I guess I knew him. When she was Kurt…”

He smiled as a small jet of air escaped his nose. “Really?”

“Yeah. Never suspected a thing. I totally thought she was just another guy, you know?” Riza looked over to the blindfolded figure. It was hard to believe that she fell for her disguise now; the figure that kneeled motionless before the firing squad was distinctly feminine. One had to wonder if they put on a layer of makeup beforehand, her skin like porcelain. No doubt they wanted to make an example to the other soldiers.

A preacher strode out before her, and began to recite a few final rites. They were really going all out with the intimidating imagery this time around.

“Well, looks like she didn’t have a perfect disguise… I still don’t know how they found her out. Do you know what got her in the end?”

Riza took a deep breath. She wasn’t entirely sure herself, but there were rumors… “Some say that she was found out in the middle of an intelligence meeting. Someone who works with a lot of spies took one look at her and ordered her to be stripped down. That’s what I’ve heard…”

Ed scoffed. “And you actually believe that crap?” He rested his hands behind his head while cracking a few of the bones in his neck. “There’s no way that’s what happened. Sounds like some bullshit the military drummed up to make you feel like you can’t get away with anything.”

“Hey, lighten up. I never said I believed it, just that that’s what I’ve heard.” She did notice how much it sounded like another fabrication of the military, but information was information. It couldn’t be completely ruled out.

“I’ll tell you what really happened.” The alchemist simpered, feeling quite clever. “The military got lucky. They caught her with her pants down—so to speak—and now they’re making like they discovered her through some vast and and infallible intelligence network.” He shot a cocky glare, daring her to say otherwise.

She matched it. “Hey… you don’t think the ranks haven’t entertained the idea? All we want to know is how Diana got caught by high command without any of us knowing. None of her close mates had a clue, not that she-”

“Wait… you’re telling me none of you knew and ratted on her?” He sounded slightly annoyed, with a lukewarm concern that seemed to come from something not adding up.

Riza took a moment to get angry “For someone in the military, you sure have a low opinion of soldiers. We don’t want these women to get shot! No one thinks that she should be shot for faking her way into a state alchemist position!”

“...So, none of your friends in the military want this to happen?” It was as if his eyes had gone a shade duller with a sudden realization.

“No, of course not…” She had the feeling that she was being led into a trap, but it would seem distasteful to not voice the truth about the matter.

“None of your inner circle, or not among all of the soldiers you know?” Ed seemed to be determined to dig all the information that he could out of her.

She lowered, feeling that she had an idea where the runt was going with all of this. “Listen… I know you like to play detective and all, but we honestly don’t hav—” 

Her attention was brought back to the execution. A lone military drummer began the slow and pitiful tapping that signified the final moments of the execution. The priest excused himself to the side, looking solemn yet unfazed by the familiar experience. As the drumroll went up in tempo, the row of executing soldiers tensed, taking their rifles up to their shoulders and pointing at the lone figure. Her head was bowed, her body stone-still. It looked as though the woman had already made her peace with death. In unison, the soldiers squeezed their triggers.

Her blood covered the back wall, a message written out in death.


	2. Chapter One

As far as days in the office go, it had been a dull one. Ed, drummed his fingers against Roy's desk - it hadn't been a difficult request. A lead, anything on the stone would have sufficed; but here they were with nothing, and he'd wasted his time getting here in the sweltering heat. Typical. "So what you're saying..." He started, anger resonating in his tone. "Is you called me here, and you've got no leads. Great." Edward wiped a bead of sweat off his brow. The expression on the Colonel's face wasn't one he particularly liked, and something in the pit of his gut told him that there was more to it than that. There always was. Mustang would never have called him in for anything less. Edward frowned, slouched back in the chair and folded his legs over each other. "...what?"

Roy crossed his arms and let out a sigh. "You're not going to like the orders I've got for you." Sliding the folder across the desk, he stood and turned to face the window, as if watching Ed's face as he read it would cause him emotional harm. Edward shifted slightly, only going as far as to thumb the manilla folder into his open palm. One thing was for sure, orders from Mustang were rarely a good thing. At best, Ed would end up with a lead or more fame to his name, and at worst...well, last mission Winry wasn't too happy about having to pull emergency repairs.

Edward flipped it open, and scanned the words. Nothing too out of the ordinary...small northern town...embezzlement of military funds....he’d never been up north before. Maybe this would be good. It didn't take long for the smirk to fade from his face and a slack jawed frown to take it's place. "Wait, they've placed you on this too? Why the hell would you go? You're a high ranking officer with a cushy job. I can handle this on my own." He practically huffed his words out, slouching back against one of the uncomfortable leather chairs set up around the Colonel’s room, and grimaced, “What the hell are you tryn’a pull?”

The colonel turned on his heel, one arm resting on his chair and shrugged. "Orders are orders, Fullmetal. We've been through this time and time again, and unlike yourself, I take pride in the fact that I can, in fact, follow mine." He mimicked Ed, drumming his fingers on the top of his chair. "And these orders happen to apply to me too, which means what you do during this mission will reflect on my behavior as well. You do realize what that means." Roy couldn’t help but take pleasure in this. Ed was always so keen on disobedience, and Alphonse wasn’t much of a help. As much as the younger Elric tried, it was hard to keep that one from causing trouble. Edward was small, reckless, and not much for talking things through, but Roy had to give him some credit. He knew what he was doing...for the most part. If this mission was able to give his subordinate some structure, it would be worth the pain in the ass for the long run.

"Yeah, it means I'm not going," He tossed the file casually against Mustang's desk, eager to walk off. Ed knew it wouldn't end at that. It never did, but it was enough of a statement to get his attention. "Why don't you take the Lieutenant. It'd probably make for a better weekend. Hell, you could even share a room together, bet that'd be right up your alley." And just like that his smirk had returned tenfold. There was no way he'd argue with that. A chance alone with Lieutenant Hawkeye...not even Mustang could pass that up. Edward yanked himself up from the chair, quickly making his way for the door. He wouldn't give the man time to protest. No way in hell was he gonna let this happen.

Sighing and rubbing his hand across his face in irritation, Mustang grabbed the file and stormed after the younger alchemist. Despite rushing off in such a hurry, he hadn’t gone very far. Knowing he had something at stake in this, Roy rushed after Edward as fast as he could. When at last he managed to catch up with the blond, the Colonel snatched onto his right wrist, gripping tight to his automail. 

Ed quickly whipped around and gulped back the fear tickling the back of his throat. An icy shiver slithered up the alchemist’s back. Mustang clearly wasn't happy. "Look, it's not like you wanna spend time with me," His voice softened a little, clearly bargaining wasn't Ed’s strong suit, "can't you just find someone else for the job? Hell, I’ll go with Alphonse, we go on missions all the time. It’s not like you need to be here. Sit on your ass, do some paperwork. Beat’s trekking off to some town in the middle of nowhere for the bigwigs upstairs."

The colonel bit back an irritated groan and through gritted teeth declared, "Look, as much as I'd like to be working with someone--anyone--else, I don't have that luxury. An old friend of mine is in some trouble with this and called me for some help." He sighed. “I wasn’t about to say no. I haven’t seen him since his wedding. It’s unfortunate that this is how we get the chance to see each other again, but we’ve all been rather busy.” He raised an eyebrow. “As for you, well, you’re going because you were ordered to. I didn’t make this demand, by the way, so I can’t change it.”

Pouting wasn't going to do any good, that was something the young alchemist knew, but that didn't change his irritation - let alone the position he was in. Mustang had him on a leash, and no matter how much he resisted, Ed knew if he pulled too far he'd end up choked. There was no getting around this mission. He'd have to work through it.

"Hand me the file," he begrudgingly mumbled, holding a hand out to the man. This wasn't worth getting court martialed over, still, it wouldn't be pleasant. Ed flipped the pages open, reading through, his face scrunched as if choking down a rotten egg. This mission kept getting worse. "A whole weekend?! You've gotta be kidding! Why the hell is it slated for two days? It's not like an inspection would take that long!" He frowned. Ed didn't like being away from Al for that long, and was less than excited about sharing a room with his superior. "Fine, I'll do it... but I get my own hotel room! That's not up for negotiation.”

The colonel shrugged. "I'll see what I can do. I'm not entirely thrilled about sharing close quarters with you either, but we are under a budget. I'm not going to pay out of pocket just so we don't have to share." In all honesty, he was only saying that because he was tired of Ed’s crap. He had no plans that involved sharing a room with the younger alchemist. This was a trip meant for two things: solving this embezzlement case and catching up with an old friend. The fact that Edward had to be along for the ride was a minor setback. He was going to have a great time. “It’s not all perks riding on the military’s allowance, is it, Fullmetal?”

"I can cover my own room." Ed snapped, folding the papers back up and placing them in the Colonel's hands. “After all, with as much money as I make a hotel room’s not gonna be a big deal. I may even splurge and get myself a suite. I’m gonna need it after dealing with your useless ass.” He snickered for a moment, only for his attention to be drawn to more pressing matters. 

Damn this heat. Ed took in a breath and wiped his brow again. What happened to the offices? Were the air conditioners broken? He frowned, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. Maybe the red cloak wasn't the best idea for a hot June morning. He’d never been one to care for practicality when it compromised looking awesome. “When are we leaving for this?”

"This afternoon." He replied gruffly, stiffening up at the mention of the time in preparation for the upcoming fallout. "Consider it time to tell Alphonse that you're leaving and time to grab your suitcase. Meet me here in front of my office at three. And if you can manage it, don't be late."

Edward let out a huff, running his fingers through his greasy, damp hair. "Dammit, that's not nearly enough time...can't you just pick me up at my place? I had to walk here as it is...not to mention packing for this damn trip." He glanced back into his office, and then to a clock that hung up against the wall. Was two hours really enough time for him to pack? Ed knew the Colonel was regimented, but this was taking things to a whole different level...

Roy let out a dejected groan in disbelief. "You don't already have a suitcase packed?" He rubbed at his forehead with his fingers trying best to calm himself. Already the younger alchemist was a pain in his ass. Slowly but surely Roy began to let go any hope of relaxation or enjoyment drip down the drain with what remained of his patience. "You go on missions for the military all the time." Dropping his hand, he shook his head, slightly amused. "It took me twelve minutes to pack. Three of those were spent walking from my apartment to the car."

"Yeah, well, we don't exactly have the same needs..." He frowned, scratched at the back of his neck, and continued, "On top of that, I'm gonna need to clear this with the bank. They've been tracking everything ever since the incident in Xenotime…” By the look on his face, it seemed the colonel had forgotten. Typical. “By the way, if you ever have your identity stolen, make sure you double check your banks, that bastard took a lot more than just my name." Ed reminded, though, it seemed he’d paid no mind to his advice. 

"...I'll be sure to do that." He gave Ed a strange look, confused by the seemingly random comment, then sighed. Probing wouldn’t get anywhere, and they were on a tight schedule anyway. "Alright, fine. If we're going to make this happen, we're going to have to work together. I have paperwork I need to get done. If I pick you up outside yours at three, can you at least try to be ready on time?" Roy shut his eyes, his head already pounding. He hadn’t spent two hours with the alchemist and he’d already driven him straight past frustration and back twice over. Come tonight, he’d likely need a drink...or two, for that matter. It seemed at least as if Ed was finally willing to get his ass in gear. After all the confrontation and the amount of times he’d dug his heels in - Roy was more than thrilled to hear him shrug off and start for home. He’d have at least a few hours of peace and quiet before things started back up again.

"Yeah, yeah, save the lecture." Ed waved him off, seemingly uncaring about the whole thing. "I've got bigger things to worry about than being late to a mission. I've missed trains before, and it's not easy running to catch them. I'm not about to make someone that sits around on their ass all day chase after something like that. Not everyone’s as agile as I am.” He stretched himself out, daring his superior to imply that he wasn’t quite the specimen. “I’ll save you the trouble and the breath, sound good?” Ed folded his arms, stroking his own ego and taking a dig at the Colonel’s. 

Roy scoffed and crossed his arms. “Just because I have a desk job it doesn’t mean that I’m incapable of keeping up with you.” Shaking his head, he declared, “Besides, Edward. With all the running you do, you’d think you’d actually make it on time to somewhere eventually.” It was a weak comeback, and the Colonel knew it. “If I had 520 cenz for every time you promised to be somewhere and then showed up late, managed to screw up at least ten different other things along the way, or didn’t show up at all, well, let’s just say I could buy my own country.” 

“I'll be there, you can count on that." Ed bit back, starting off. He rested both hands behind his head, stretched, and turned back to the man. “Three, right? I’ll be ready.” It would help if he had a ride, but he wasn’t willing to push it. Edward had gone from an anxious spitfire about the whole thing to an uncaring, cocky asshole. Something about this mission had struck a chord with the alchemist, but it was an easy thought to brush off. Edward waved himself off, eager to get back to the hotel, but anything but for this new assignment. Al wasn’t gonna be happy. With leaded feet and a head full of thoughts, the alchemist started towards home. So much to do. So little time.


	3. Chapter Two

It was 2:45. Ed was late. 

Well... not yet, the Colonel supposed, but if he had yet to make it out to the car by now, he wasn’t going to make it out by three. With a sigh, he clambered out of the still-running vehicle. Telling a nearby Lieutenant to keep an eye on it for him, Roy stomped up the stone steps of the building in irritation. Finally, he reached the Elric’s apartment. At three on the dot, the raven-haired alchemist rapped on the door. 

No answer. Glancing at his watch, he griped, "Damn it, Edward. I don't have time for this. What could possibly be taking you so long?" He knocked again, harder, but this time, the door creaked open on its own. Stepping inside, he continued, "I said three sharp, Fullmetal. Didn't you give me your word that you'd be punctual?" The flame alchemist hardly even heard the sound of the door closing behind him. Dammit...the sound of rushing water could only mean one thing. Edward sure knew how to gamble with time, but despite his resolve, the boy’s gambling streak was a bit of a mess. Drawing in a deep breath, he called out once more. “Fullmetal, we need to leave!” but with no response, he was left with no choice. Dreading the outcome, he steadied himself, and made his way to the bathroom door. 

With a twist of the knob, the water was off. Shrouded in steam, the alchemist took a step out, wiped the window clear, and took up a towel for warmth. 2:50. Right on time. Ed took a deep breath, pulled the door open wide...and then screamed. She slammed the door, practically breaking it. “WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!? GET OUT!” Ed’s shrill voice cracking out through the bottom of the door and it was clear in her voice she was a lot more anxious than angry. Dammit.

He tried to speak, but his throat was stuck. Roy swallowed, coughed, and then managed, “You’re late! And the door was unlatched. If you don't want people walking in, perhaps you should consider locking it!" Edward was…? He didn’t have any...? How had she hidden it from him this whole time?

It took her a while to find a response, but after a few moments, Ed's hand slipped off of the handle, letting the door swing back open. She sighed, and pushed past him, heading for her room, "Alphonse keeps forgetting...I'm gonna have to beat his sorry ass when I get back." Her voice was a bit shaky, but she was quickly regaining her composure. Maybe he hadn't seen anything? She could only hope… but then again? "Look, just let me get dressed, I'll be out in like...five minutes."

Irritated, the colonel uncharacteristically acquiesced, still shocked. It was easier to agree than to make an issue of it. "We're already running behind schedule; I suppose a few extra minutes won't make a difference." He hummed. "I'm glad I built in ten extra minutes in case something came up." Yeah, that was more like him.

He...he hadn't said anything. Ed breathed a sigh, shutting the door behind her. Dressing never took long, and within minutes, the girl was ready to go - her binder a little tighter than normal as a precaution. With her clothes in place, and suitcase packed, Edward threw the door open, speeding past the man before a single syllable could drop from the colonel’s mouth. "Sorry, walking home was a pain, and I didn't exactly have time to go to the bank. Al's taking care of that...probably why the door was left open. We should have things taken care of by the time we hit town..." She gave the man an uneasy thumbs up, quick to dismiss the thought of him seeing anything. 

Roy kept his mouth shut. He kept what he imagined to think was a decent poker face on… but he wasn’t all that great at poker. Why was she so calm about this? He’d likely just discovered her biggest kept secret, the most dangerous of her secrets, and here she was, joking and jumping around like a cat with too much energy. "The car's waiting outside, Edward. We should go. We'll still be on time if we leave now. Barring any additional unforeseen incidents, that is." He strode past her, pulling the apartment door ajar, and holding it open. Edward didn’t hesitate in storming through, though. Practically bolting for the stairs, she found herself jittery and frazzled. Willing herself back together, she called back “Come on, you’re the one who said I was late and-” His stride was longer, and it was easy to catch up. Walking outside, he nodded to his subordinate, Riza saluted and held the door open. 

“Fifteen minutes late… didja have to prove me wrong? I had five cenz that said you’d make it on time, kid.” She chuckled. Her lips were curled upwards in a reserved smile. For a moment, she broke character. Her attention shifted to Mustang, her grin widening as they shared the pedestrian details of their days. It was brief, and she resumed a countenance of strict focus afterwards.

The Colonel laughed in response. He looked happy, lighthearted, almost forgetting the troublesome reality he’d stumbled upon not five minutes earlier. “Of course he did, Lieutenant. You should have known better, making a bet like that. Edward here is never on time. Thanks for the money, though.” Roy slid into the driver’s seat, catching the change in his hand in a single motion. Suave as hell, that one...

Edward couldn't help the smile pricking at her face. Lieutenant Hawkeye. Of course she was coming. The two were inseparable. A brisk pace overtook the alchemist and in catching up to the car, she flung the door open and placed her suitcase in the back seat, quickly kicking back her legs against the driver's chair. For all her complaining, perhaps this wouldn't be too bad. 

Looking into the mirror, the Colonel could see her, legs putting pressure on his seat, pushing hard and digging into his back. It was if all of her nerves were put into the force she was pressing into the seat in front of her. The look on her face was quiet, but almost as if she were struggling to stay calm, and she refused to look Roy in the eye when his eyes met with hers. “Could you...let up on the seat a bit, Edward?” He asked, trying not to sound as if it felt like small knives were stabbing him in the lower back. “What are you doing back there anyway? I’m going to need someone to help me navigate, you know.”

"Wait, isn't the Lieutenant coming?" Ed asked, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach, and her legs dropping from their perched position. This wasn’t good. Weren't they just going to the train station? How the hell did he need a map for that? Unsettled, she barely realized the car start off, leaving Hawkeye with the dust. It looked as if they weren't taking her. And with Riza’s figure receding into the distance, Ed's heart began to pound in doubletime.

"She has another assignment. I'll have to do without her this time around." Roy replied, glad that he wouldn't need the map for at least a while. He glanced back at her. "We're not taking the train; there's no need for it. It's not far by car, and I prefer to drive. Trains are stuffy and full of people. Also," He added with a shrug, “The train doesn’t go there anyway. They’re too small of a town to need a train going in and out all the time.”

Ed reclined back, resting her arms against the windowsill and watching the lines of brick buildings, green planted trees, and southbound cars passing by. "Ya know if it were anyone else driving, you'd have a point, but as someone who's been in this position before, I don't exactly see this as turning out well." Edward mused, her words shaky as hell. Still, she enjoyed poking at the man, and was eager to get under his skin. All in all, Ed enjoyed keeping the man on his toes, even if she may have wandered into deep water earlier today. 

He rolled his eyes, gripped the steering wheel tighter, then loosened his grip. “I’ll have you know I’m an excellent driver, considering who I’m currently having to deal with.” He threw a look her way again, and he stayed in his lane easily. “Besides, would you rather I drive the whole way or do you want to walk 120 miles? I can pull over and let you out, if you’d prefer.” Roy grumbled, still tense. His mind found it easy to wander to the very memory he’d been trying to forget.

"Such a shame you couldn't bring your girlfriend, though. That's gotta be tough." Ed nearly lurched forward as the car slammed to a stop, apparently she’d touched a nerve. "Hey, what the hell-"

The colonel had wrenched the car to the side of the road and put it in park so he could turn to look Ed in the eyes. "Lieutenant Hawkeye and I are professionals. She and I don’t have time for things like ‘inter-office romance’. We have important jobs to do." He grunted out defensively.

“That doesn’t give you the right to nearly get our asses killed! Warn a guy before you speed to a grinding halt!” One more reason she couldn’t stand the thought of him in cars.

And then there was nothing, as if silence itself had swept in and stolen their breath out from under them. Ed couldn’t help but squirm against her seatbelt, dreading speaking up again, but resolving to brave it anyway. “...you can go ahead and drive now, we’re behind enough as it is…”

Roy sighed, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned around, eye to eye with someone that had become all at once a stranger and a friend. "How many other people know about you?" It was quiet, calm. One could almost claim soft, gentle, maybe even caring. It was all he said. Once again with needles on his back, he waited for an answer. He didn’t ask her why. He didn’t even think to ask. There was no point in questioning her reasoning. In the mere moments he’d seen Roy understood why. That wasn’t important...at least not now. Still, the blonde squirmed for a moment, pretending not to understand the question, if she waited long, would he drop it? It didn’t appear so.

Roy didn’t falter. She avoided his gaze like it would tear a gaping hole in her skin, and perhaps she was right. The man's words had come out so…reassuring? No, that wasn’t quite it. It was something more than that, but she wasn’t sure what.

Ed couldn't put a finger on it. But, with the car at a stand still it seemed she had no choice. Gulping back fear and pride, and anything she’d held back, the alchemist spoke up, their voice cracking with emotion as she forced the words through clenched teeth.. "I don't know what you want me to say..." Her golden eyes did everything they could to avoid his What could she say? How do you respond when you find the person you've known for years turns out to be a total stranger?

The colonel didn’t take his eyes off her. Instead, with a concerned frown, he sighed out, “Just...just tell me what you can, okay?”

Why wouldn't he stop staring? The young alchemist drew in a deep breath. Knowing him, there were no other options. Roy was going to go to the authorities with this, it was a easy ticket up. They almost all started out that way...

She steeled her gaze and gave a look he might not have expected. It was cool, collected. Almost, harsh even, as if trying to shield herself from some impending blow. "Look, I'll do whatever you want in exchange for silence...you're not the first guy to come across this, so it's not like I'm inexperienced." Her hands crumpled against her coat. "We’ve already got a hotel room at our disposal...why don’t we just shut the door, see what happens, and erase this weekend from our minds?"

He balked, trying to contain his disgust at the idea. How many men had caught her? How many had she had to bed to convince them not to turn her in? Two words passed his lips, shocking even himself. "I'm sorry." Roy paused, letting the air in his lungs settle, mad, but mostly at himself. "Why didn't you tell me? This is important, Fullmetal. I'm your commanding officer. Had I known...this never would have happened." He sighed. "I'm the one who got you to become a state alchemist, after all, made you work so hard to earn it, pushed you so hard all the time...I just-”

"It's not your fault.” Edward all but blurted out, shutting her eyes tight before looking back at the drivers in motion “...look, you made me want it, but I'm the one who went for it." There was a distinct amount of self disgust in her voice that seemed almost foreign coming off her tongue. "Don't blame yourself for trying to help me, you're one of the few people that did..."

It took a while for the shock to wear thin, and for her own words to fall into place. As the cars passed by, the girl found herself struggling to find the guts to speak. That was new...at least around him...She took in a deep breath, particularly thrown by his apology, then decided to keep her mouth shut. Why hadn't he just spoken up at the apartment?

"There's nothing to be done about the past. As much as we both wish we could go back in time and fix things, we both know we can’t. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the reality that we live in." The colonel said with a shrug. It wasn't dismissive, but rather a statement of acknowledgement, and strangely, rather defeatist as well. The things he’d have changed if he could do the past over…He stiffened, steadied himself, and continued as if nothing had happened. "I know it doesn't mean much, but I am here now. I can help you through things." Roy raised his arm, as if to reach out for her, to comfort her, but changed his mind, wondering if that was too much, and simply halted it midair then let it fall back apologetically. Steeling himself, he looked her in the eyes and offered, "Come sit up front. I think you'll find there's more room." He smiled, but it wasn't quite as snarky as it had been earlier. “Besides, I could use your eyes once we hit the country roads. Map’s not gonna read itself, Fullmetal.”

The girl considered the idea, nearly convinced that if she found herself in the front seat, she might do something rash. He'd asked no more questions, but somehow there was so much she felt she needed off her chest. For a moment, she considered staying where she sat, but with all he could hold against her, it seemed wise to keep quiet and follow orders. With wobbly legs, and a serious blow to her ego, the girl clambered into the passenger seat, and turned to face the window. “There, you happy? Gimmie the damn map…”

Roy smiled and pulled out onto the road, handing it off without a second thought. They were silent for a few minutes, him watching the road, her looking out the window. It was a peaceful drive, but tense. Ed, intentionally avoiding his gaze, her body weight nearly thrown completely against the door.

"I do have one question." Her whole body tensed. Roy winced in response. She was so tightly wound and anxious...the colonel could see it all over her as she’d climbed in beside him. It would take a while for her to trust him with this, he supposed, but maybe this was a start. In any case, the question had been plaguing him ever since that door was thrown open. "What's your real name?" He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, trying to fill the anxious air with something...anything. "I'll have to still call you Edward for anything involving this case and around Central, but it doesn't mean that you can't have the dignity of your own name elsewhere."

And then, she gave a smile, though whether or not it was intentional or simply part of her mask was hard to determine, even for her. So, she still deserved that right, did she? With all that had happened, it was hard for the alchemist to see how. Several moments of silence struck deep in her throat, and after what seemed like minutes, she finally spoke. "My name is Evangeline...though I don't exactly like it. Not great being named after the bastard that abandoned you..." She faked a laugh as the car pulled forward, they'd lost a considerable amount of time, but with all that had happened, perhaps it was best that they'd stopped. "Eva." She said, definitely. "You wanna call me anything other than what you know, you use that name. It's the only one that means anything anymore."

"Thank you." Roy smiled back at her but only for a second, his eyes fixed back on the road. "Then I must say, It's nice to meet you, Eva. I'm Roy." He glanced at her, his smile unwavering. It was hard to gauge her expression. It was if she was struggling to understand what he’d said because it was spoken in some foreign tongue and she needed a stone tablet to translate. "But you already knew that." The Colonel shrugged off his stupid joke dismissively. His attempts to lighten the mood were pitiful at best, anxiety-inducing at worst. drumming his fingers on the steering wheel he squinted at the upcoming intersection. "Hey, Fullmetal, which road we're supposed to take up here?"

Eva nodded, unfolding the large map. Where were they going again? It took her a few minutes to find the small northern town. Yeoz. Their destination was small town on the edge of the northern border, just cold enough to be pleasant in these hot and humid summer days. From the looks of it, they'd be driving a while, and with the uncomfortable silence, she wasn't sure she could handle much more than sleeping. Still, with the road pointed out, the girl stretched out and found herself just relaxed enough to find sleep. With the truth out in the open, and Central City at their backs, at the very least, she knew the man next to her was one person she wouldn’t have to hide from any longer. Maybe he wouldn’t turn out like the others. It was just wishful thinking, but maybe the colonel really was different. With that hope for comfort at her side, perhaps it would all be okay.


	4. Chapter Three

The sun had long set when Roy pulled in to the small mountain town of Yeoz, the small buildings brightly lit and full of life even with nightfall. It appeared the town had a lot more to it than the thin paper files had described, though Roy paid no mind, finding himself focused on the task at hand. It was easy to spot the inn where they'd be staying, large, bright, and a bit out of place, it seemed to almost beckon its patrons through the glow of it’s trusses. He looked over at Eva. Not easily woken, the blonde had spent the majority of the ride stretched out in a deep uninterrupted sleep. How she managed that feat, her superior would never understand. "Eva," He whispered quietly enough that no one else could hear, and shook her gently with one hand. "Hey. We're here."

With few people around, and the night sky lit with the moon, Eva's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, the tension long passed in central returned, but it wasn’t long before she settled back into security. The streets were lined with small buildings, and while dimly lit, the stringed light left a dazzling impression. There was some sort of festival or celebration going on, with music and food and fireworks. Despite the military embezzlement, the town’s people still had enough to enjoy themselves with the fun things in life. This was the town they were inspecting? She'd barely wiped the sleep from her eyes when she found her door opened, "Yeah, yeah...I know we're late, but at least we're here. Gimme a minute..." Eva frowned, climbing from the car to gather her things. What could they have possibly missed in the short delay she'd put them through?

Roy shrugged and smiled, grabbing his own suitcase, and making his way up the few steps there were to the door of the inn. "Don't worry about it. I doubt we missed much. Even if we did, we weren't delayed long enough for it to be a big issue. Let's just get a room and settle in for the night so we can get a good head start in the morning." After pondering holding the door open for her he remembered that he was supposed to pretend like everything was normal and quickly forgot about it, going inside to find someone to request a room from instead. 

The night air was a lot nicer than she'd expected, certainly a lot cooler than it had been in central, but it didn’t take long for her to find her way into the establishment. In the mere steps they’d taken into the hotel, Eva could felt her senses tingle. It had been a while since she’d stayed in a place like this, and the girl had almost forgotten the distinct scent that came paired with hometown hotels. Clean, busy, and...for some reason, there was always the distinct smell of lemon against all the freshly cleaned surfaces. With two sets of stairs, and a newly installed elevator right in between, the carefully direct marble tiling seemed to lead the two towards the one and only help desk the establishment held. It had been too long since she’d had a mission like this, and the weight of it all made it almost worth having to drag her superior along behind her.

His suitcase was so small...just what had he brought along? Still, as Eva stepped into the hotel, she found herself almost glad he'd found out. In truth paying a hotel fee for a place this extravagant seemed a little much. Was this place really necessary? Not much traffic without the railways. Sure, there was clearly something going on here now, but what about the rest of the year? Keeping this place running had to cost a fortune. Eva rubbed her back, her entire body sore from the ride over here, as her eyes drew to the bar, just off the right side of the establishment. Dimly lit, yet filled to the brim with commonday patrons and tourists, people passed through on their way in and out. Now, that was exactly what she needed. "Ya know, I could really go for a drink, now that I think about it. Why don't I catch up with you at the room?" She asked, as soon as she reached the desk, eagerly eyeing the bottles and glasses set behind the counter. "Sound like a plan?"

Roy frowned, folded his arms, but gave in. "Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound half bad. Why don't we get our things to our room and then we'll both go get one? I could use one myself." He couldn't help but worry, even though she was extremely well-practiced at hiding herself. If she'd kept him in the dark for this long him, she could easily pull it off from a couple people at a bar, but that didn't worry him any less. Either way, after everything that had happened, the colonel could go for something strong anyway. Maybe he’d be able to relax a bit. She did fine on her own. Most of the time.

"What's got you so tense?" the alchemist teased, passing off her luggage to him. "Scared about sharing a bed with me, Colonel?" She strolled towards the bar, clearly attending to her own agenda, and far more awake than she'd been seconds ago. "Don't tell me the Lieutenant's the type to be jealous of someone like me."

He rolled his eyes, passing off the grunt of strain at the weight of her suitcase she'd packed as one of irritation. Her suitcase was so heavy...just what had she brought along? “I’ve told you before, Fullmetal, and I’ll tell you again. Lieutenant Hawkeye and I aren’t like that..." He huffed at her, muttering under his breath as he stalked away, "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't drink too much; I don't want to have to explain why most of the tab for this night was spent on alcohol and I’m not about to coddle you should you wind up drunk off your ass."

Eva stiffened, stretched, then smirked, taking a bar stool and ordering something fun. After everything that happened today, she deserved a medal, but at this rate, a daiquiri would suffice. Off in the distance, the sound of people laughing and fireworks played against the sounds of chirping crickets, but behind closed walls, those sounds were swallowed beneath the soft rhythmic music that played over the bar. Before long, she’d found herself at the bottom of her beverage, and the Colonel she’d nearly forgotten about at her back. Eva began stirring her second drink with the cherry dipped down below her ice. As relieved as she was that he'd let her off, she couldn't shake a question at the back of her mind, and where one question rested, soon came many others until the girl became weighed down - her former smile a large, slack jawed frown.

The colonel sat down beside her at the bar and ordered a whiskey. Sighing, he took a liberal gulp of it when the bartender quickly poured it for him. Turning to her, he raised an eyebrow. "Alright, now what's bothering you now? Less than ten minutes ago you were snarking at me about something stupid..." He took another sip. "Is this about earlier today?" He frowned. "I apologize if anything I said was out of line. I worry about you, is all." Judging by the look on her face, he knew she was going to argue that point and put a stop to it. "Deny it all you want, but that doesn't make it any less true." He sipped at his whiskey again, but the girl took a while before answering.

"Ya know, of the six guys to figure it out, you're the second to let me off clean..." Her voice trailed before she gulped back a large portion of the drink. Eva almost laughed at the idea, as if she hadn't even paid attention to his words. She seemed to be lost in thought. The girl waved for another, oddly silent about the situation. With the glass finished, she bit the stem off the cherry and popped it into her mouth. Eva didn't dare look him in the eyes and with the amount of time between sentences, it was debatable whether or not she even recognized he was there. Finally, with the third drink in her hands, she turned to him and grinned, asking "How’s the room?"

Stalling, he finished off his glass and ordered another, then answered her. "It’s nice. A little small, but that doesn’t bother me. We’ve got a balcony too." The colonel said with a nod, not willing to admit that there was in fact only one bed due to some scheduling errors. An awkward silence lay heaped over their shoulders as he accepted his drink and took a sip of it. He opened his mouth, then closed it, contemplating whether or not he wanted to bring it up, knowing that she herself had avoided it by changing the subject. Still, in the time they’d taken to drive up here, Roy’s head had filled with questions. He needed answers, "Who was the first?"

Her eyes shot over to him like bullets, and for a moment, Eva debated whether or not to actually let him know. Mustang seemed genuine, and above all, almost protective, he likely wouldn’t let up until he’d been answered. Damn bastard... Gulping down what remained of her third glass, Eva shivered, and spoke up, keeping her voice low as she could, hollow as it was, "His name was Charles Davis...administers my physical exams every six months, At least that's what the records says...." The girl wiped her mouth, raising her hand for another drink. "I take off my clothes for him every month. He usually lasts only fifteen minutes..." Her voice trailed off with the thought, fumbling upon the words. "But every month since I hit that lovely legal age, we’ve met in his office in exchange for his silence..."

Taking another large gulp, he realized he was going to be very drunk soon if he kept doing this as a way to stall for time, despite his high tolerance for the stuff. He set his glass aside and ordered a water. If he was going to be here this long maybe h e should keep himself hydrated. It took a while for Roy’s thoughts to even out, and even when they did he managed to find himself fumbling against words he needed to say, and words he needed kept silent. It was a good, long minute before finally, he spoke. "And the others, are the same." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Some kind of understanding... Roy’s face darkened with sorrowful embarrassment, no wonder she hadn’t come to him. "You didn't come to me for help because you were worried I'd be just like them." He sighed, swirled his drink, and took a sip, dismissing the newly-ordered water altogether. "I don't blame you. With my reputation, I wouldn't go to me for help with this either." He looked at her then, "I can't fix the past. I can't change what happened. It doesn't mean that I--" Mustang swallowed some of his drink to keep words from coming out that he didn't intend. "It doesn't mean that I won't be here for you now."

His words had her conflicted, but Eva quickly took to washing the feelings out with a new hard glass of heavy vodka. Her entire body seemed to be weighed down under something she, herself, couldn't identify. It was a cynical statement, but with everything that had happened, she couldn't help but let those words fall. "There's nothing that can be done. Even if you are here for me, it doesn't change the fact that I made an agreement. I have to stick by it. It's survival."

After a few more static moments, Eva stirred her drink further, but didn't take another sip.

"Hughes told me not to trouble you with this. He said it would make getting to the top harder for you. The man really did have what was best for you in mind...all the way til the end. He was right about one thing, though. You've always looked out for your team first. It's probably why he made me promise to keep it from you in the first place..." She scoffed, faking a smile and downing another glass. "He was a good man..."

Mustang dropped his gaze to stare down into his glass, swirling the amber liquid inside rather than drinking it. He blinks for a moment, lets the hole in his chest tear open as it always does when Maes’ name was mentioned. He sighs a good, long steady breath. "Yes he was. Which is why we can't let his death be in vain. He did what he did to protect you." Roy sighed as he took a sip. As he set it back on the bar and finally took a sip of the water he’d ordered, he continued, "He probably thought that I would turn you in if I found out." He shook his head. "For all I know, he might have been right. It's awful how losing your best friend changes your perspective on things." There Eva sat, troubled and slightly intoxicated, somehow, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of her. "He was the only one who didn't require anything other than your well-being to keep your secret, other than Alphonse, of course. You need someone to be in his place, whether you believe that or not."

"I believe it..." Eva stared down into her nearly empty glass, contemplating her next move. Hell, silence seemed like a good option, given all they’d been through today. The girl steadied her hands, and for a moment, things felt okay. "What I really need, is something stronger...I should be laughing right now." Eva shot a glance over to him, the sadness in her eyes as prominent as the concern in his. "Maybe I should just go to the room and get some sleep..."

A sad smile crept onto his face. "Alright." Roy Mustang finished his drink in one final swig. "Actually, I'm done here too.We have a long day ahead of us anyway." He studied her as she hopped down from the stool. Roy had studied the alchemist many-a-time, but here beneath the dim bar lighting, her eyes held a sadness he’d never seen in them before. What was it? Resignation? Maybe. Somehow, though, that didn't grasp it entirely. It was more than sorrow, though. It was something more visceral, potent. It was something instinctual, and searching. Desire. Desire for something. For what, though, he couldn't tell.

The young alchemist placed a wad of cash on the counter. At this point, Eva was more than ready to get this day over with. Wobbly legs took the alchemist up three flights of stairs, and at the end of the hall, they found themselves in one of the better hotel rooms the north had to offer. Well lit, comfortable, and with all the pleasures money could by, the room was adorned in velvet curtains, silk sheets, and a little balcony overlooking the festival. There was one bed, a fact the alchemist wasn't shy about lamenting over, and a table with a bottle of complimentary champagne. This place wasn't kidding around.

"Guess we could'a got’ drunk up here..." She laughed, halfheartedly. Despite his presence, she wasted no time in stripping of her clothes and binder. It was starting to become a pain, anyway. "I thought you said we had two beds."

The Colonel whipped around quickly to give her some privacy, deciding to find his own things for bed instead of standing there staring like an idiot. He decided to talk in order to keep his mind busy. He wasn’t used to people dressing and undressing around him. That was the benefit and disadvantage of living alone. He shrugged as he spoke. "Apparently I was wrong. I spoke to the manager about it on my way to the bar after I dropped off our luggage. There's some sort of festival going on, and unfortunately they've run out of rooms with more than one bed. You'd think they'd be more welcoming to soldiers of our status, but I'll take what I can get." Opening his suitcase, he pulled out his pajamas. Packing light did have its advantages. It was easy to find what you were looking for. “And before you go blaming yourself, the rooms were booked days in advance. The extra time we spent earlier today wouldn't have made a difference in the long run." After taking off his shoes and setting them neatly by the desk, he took off his uniform coat and draped it over the chair. Methodically, he pulled off his his undershirt and pants and slipped into his pink silk pajamas and pulled off his socks. Once his uniform was hung up in the closet and his other clothes put back in his suitcase, he sat back down on the bed, watching out the window as the cascade of fireworks ended.

With her red coat discarded, and black clothes in a heap on the floor, the girl finally pulled out her suitcase, and unlatched the top. Revealing a row of hastily stuffed in clothes, underwear, and automail tools, the girl reached in, and grabbed her toothbrush and soaps, as well as an oversized shirt to sleep in. In one swift motion, she pulled her hair down, letting it trickle to her back in waves about her shoulders. With her pajamas pulled on, and teeth bright and clean, it didn't take long for her to make her way towards the balcony, pulling the door open and leaning against the edge as the evening fireworks went up in a bright, spectacular finale.

Standing, he walked back to his suitcase to grab his own toothbrush. Roy’s eyes were drawn to the small blonde figure and the direction in which she gazed. He paused, standing next to her but remained far enough away so as not to make contact. "It's beautiful, isn't it." He murmured. The Colonel smiled then, turned away, and finished brushing his teeth. As he put his stuff away, he decided, "It's nice to have something wonderful to look at tonight." Frowning, he realized. "Favor or not, tomorrow isn't going to be nearly this exciting." He pulled back the covers with a sigh. They were nice, good quality, expensive. Putting it on the military's bill was all the sweeter too. If nothing else, they would sleep comfortably tonight.

Eva shot a glance to him, snuggled beneath the silken sheets. Pink was an odd color for him, but seemed almost fitting, "I think I'll catch up with you later on the sleep department...I got enough of that on the ride over..." one last gaze to the chilled bottle of champagne before she snatched it up, her metal hand clinking against the glass as she returned to the chair on the balcony. With the cork pulled off, and the sliding door shut behind her, Eva took a heavy drink, only to find her mouth filled with tiny bubbles. Champagne? For the festival, that might have been fitting. Somehow, a smile drew to her soften face as she stared into the night, thankful for the man in the other room with the pink silk pajamas.

Sitting up, Roy slid his feet out of the covers to watch her through the glass for a moment. She looked truly happy there, drinking out on the balcony. Mustang was drawn to her, drawn to stand, and stumbling on shaky legs, he stood and looked out the window for some time before he made his choice. Did he dare disturb her? Did he dare risk destroying such a perfect moment? She was so quiet, so still, so unlike how he'd always known her, really. Had he ever really known her? He wondered. Eva was beautiful in the moonlight, her long loose hair draping across her shoulders. She was...different. He found himself stumbling forward again, and padding over to the glass door, he opened it smoothly. Eva’s hair spun back, coiling around her shoulders once more, and with the Colonel in sight the girl settled and took another drag from the bottle. She hadn’t been expecting him, but in a surprising way, welcomed company.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He stepped out onto the balcony and closed it behind him. "I just realized I'm going to find it hard to sleep with all the celebrating going on." He said as a weak excuse but it was all he had, and without much hesitation, Roy joined her on the opposite side, musing, "Since I'm going to be up, I figured I'd come out here too."

"Le'me guess," she started, fumbling with her words bit and taking another drag from the bottle before dangling it from her fingertips. "You were hoping to take this for yourself when I left." The smug grin on her face was lit only by the soft light flickering on and off above them. Falling from the sky, the stray sparks from the fireworks had already begun to dissipate to smoke. Down below, swarms of people began herding towards their respective homes, a large bustling crowd taking move towards the hotel as a single lantern took flight in the sky. This place was peaceful. Safe. "Am I right? Or am I right?"

Roy’s smile brightened, the laugh that bubbled out of him genuinely at her slightly slurred comment, his face dimly lit in the fading lights down below. "I might have hoped that you would share." He leaned back and kicked his heels up on the table. "But who am I to blame? It's a beautiful night with a beautiful view. The champagne was complimentary because of the festival weekend, and you've had enough to drink. If you're going to get drunk, then so am I." He smiled and chuckled, sighing contentedly. He had needed this. It was calm here, and for the moment, all formalities slipped away from the night. For tonight, this was a vacation with a familiar stranger, and that was more than fine by him. Continuing with a chuckle, he added, "So if you're not going to give it up, you'd better give it over."

Eva instinctively yanked the bottle away from him, some of it sloshing over her 'pajamas' in the process. "I don't think so." She couldn't help but giggle, taking another deep drink. At this rate he wouldn't have any left. "If you wanna get it, you're gonna have to come take it from me." She grinned, pulling herself up from the chair, and marched over to the balcony, pulling herself up onto the ledge and kicking her legs over the edge. "But let's be honest you don't have the balls to do that, do you, Sir?"

"Damn it, Fullmetal, Get down from there! You’re gonna get yourself killed!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet. The colonel rushed over to her side to pull her off the balcony, but stopped short, taking in the view. "Don't you realize how high up we-?!" Looking down, he laughed. He laughed at how stupid the situation was, at everything that had happened that night, at the fact that he was fighting over a champagne bottle and wasn't even drunk yet. Mostly, he laughed at the fact that they were on the second floor and their drop off was into the outdoor pool. She'd be fine if she fell, if she wasn't too drunk too swim to shore. Hopping up onto the balcony railing beside her, he snatched the bottle from her in the moment of hesitation that shone on her face at that. Roy smirked at her and downed half of what was left. "So," He decided with a laugh, "What do I get as a reward if I do it?" He took another large gulp.

"Gee, Colonel," she started, slyly leaning against a post and putting her legs up on his lap, "you'd think the respect and admiration from the most gifted state alchemist in the century would be enough. Eva reached for the bottle, nearly toppling into the water in the process. Instead she hit the hard wooden floor of their balcony, not a long drop, but it wasn't pleasant, and sure as hell left her with a sore ass. Despite that fact, from where she lay on the floor, Eva propped her head up on her hands, laying out on her stomach and kicking her feet up. "But, I guess since you've already got that I could offer something else. What'll it be?" There was something almost...seductive about her expression, and laying with her hair down didn't help. The loud of the night had slowly drifted, leaving only the soft chirp of crickets to fill the evening's silence.

Finishing off the bottle, he hopped down to meet her. "Most gifted state alchemist in the century?" He smirked. "Keep telling yourself that. As for the ‘Respect and admiration?’ That I will accept." It was said with a joking tone, not one he'd used before. He was teasing her. "Though I wasn't aware that I had it before." He laughed, choosing to join her down on the floor rather than offer to help her up. He lay down, head pillowed in his crossed arms, looking back at her from only a few inches away. "Putting that aside, oh ‘greatest state alchemist’, what did you have in mind?" He winked at her, his laugh bubbling out of him.

A wink was an invitation. There was no other way to interpret it, right? The girl rose up, her golden hair trailing over her shoulders as she inched closer to him, dropping down to her knees. His breath smelled of citrus champagne, and eyes were almost as dark as the night. Without warning, the girl pressed herself to him, laying across the man and placing her own arms below the crook of his neck before pulling him into a soft salty kiss. It was just enough...she could leave it to drunken fun if he remembered tomorrow, and with her heart pounding furiously, Eva barely managed to pull away. "I'd say that's enough to satisfy, don't you?" Judging by the look in his eyes, however, Eva would soon realize that the night was only just getting started.


	5. Chapter Four

Was it enough, though? Did he want more? Maybe this was a mistake. 

The Colonel was so much harder to read than she’d thought he’d be. Eva gazed up at her superior, glassy-eyed and rosy-cheeked, the both of them far more drunk than they had planned. Roy flipped over to look her in the eyes. So that’s what she was hiding. Her cheeks were just as flushed as his. His eyes sparkled against the moonlight, and just for a moment, the alchemist appeared almost...cute? He was going to regret this in the morning, but in that moment, none of that mattered. What had she asked? Does that satisfy? Inching forward, he whispered into her ear with a soft laugh, and an answer he hadn’t expected…

"I don't know, you tell me."

A shiver coursed up through the base of her body to the alchemist's back. He was really doing this…

With that shock in her system, she was sent standing, trying to calm herself of the electricity that seemed to be coursing through her body. He looked so calm, even in a drunken haze in soft pink pajamas; as if the world was just turning around him without thought. Eva gripped the edge of her white tee shirt, running her fingers over the fabric to try and achieve some level of the carelessness he presented.

"I-I guess that's your call...I-I mean after all, you did win the bet, and hell, I owe you enough for keeping my secret. I-I just..." Her lips quivered, he didn't seem to understand a single word of what she'd said. In that very moment, a golden in Eva’s mind switched on. Shaking hands, quivering lips, and frantic footsteps brought her right back. And with one swift move and no regrets, she pressed him against the wall and pulled him down for another deep and messy kiss. 

Letting out a surprised noise, he kissed her back feverishly, tugging her close.

'I didn’t think she’d be so bold,' Roy thought to himself, amused. Could this be considered a one night stand? He had only met her hours ago... Come the morning, neither would likely remember anything. In the moonlight, Eva seemed to glow...it was one night. That was just enough.

Words that would have been said were lost, slipping through his lips and into hers as a few gasps of air. He pulled her up into his arms, spun them both around against the wall, making sure to land lightly. Bare backs don’t fare well with brick. His lips attacked her neck then, his hands at her hips, and when she wrapped her legs around him, he shifted her weight so he could tease her rear. Despite her automail she was light, and the cold metal contrasted against the heat of their skin, a sudden shock to their senses. He nibbled her ear gently first, then nipped at it, tugging it between his teeth before he kissed down her jaw once more to her lips.

The moan she made was almost inhuman, a gasp of air erupting from her lungs forcefully. With her lips pressed against his shoulders, the girl pressed teeth down just lightly enough to keep blood from following, but thick enough to get a response. Letting out a moan of his own to match hers, he thrust his hips to collide with her own.

Finally able to see eye to eye with the man, she forced her lids closed instead, her hands gripping tight to his back, and feverish kisses getting out of hand. With her right hand placed on his arm, she led his own up and beneath her shirt; suspended against the wall of the hotel balcony by nothing but her own limbs and the force placed upon her. If the world could see, she didn't care. She welcomed the view.

 So did he.

Just as unfazed by the world around them, his hand followed the path that she guided for him, and when she released it, he traced circles on her pale torso slowly, slowly up her chest. Tracing her left breast, he found her nipple and squeezed it gently, the gasp she made encouraging him to press on. Spinning them around once more, he used this new angle against the wall to slip off her shirt, slipping in kisses at every bit of new skin that he revealed.

Eva inhaled, using this moment to remove herself from her perch and peer up at him in a hazy gaze. Somehow, he'd never looked more attractive. Unbuttoned silk pajamas, messy wind blown hair, and a drunken gaze nearly matched by her own. Lifting only her right hand, she gripped tightly to his, taking two steps backward in the empty night towards the bed. 

Unaware of her steps, she tripped back hitting the bed with a floomph, her hair falling back around her, and leaving her in a giggling mess. Not the most...seductive way to call someone to bed, but it was all her own.

Roy couldn’t help but laugh, but just as she’d done he tumbled to the bed and landed right on top of her. Sitting up, his hands flew to her hair, golden and riotous, as he bent down to kiss her lips. They began to wander then, his tongue tangling with hers, as his fingers sought out the smooth contours of her skin, to trace the outlines of her face. He was careful then, even in his sloppy, drunken haze, to take things at her pace, to let her guide them. He would wait until she decided to move things further, to make sure that she wanted this. Even though there were no words spoken, somehow, he was still gentle with her.

And then came three words he couldn't identify, muffled under the sound of his own skin. I...want you? Her lips pressed softly to his shoulder, and for a moment she let her body take control. 

Three buttons undone...it was hard to pull his shirt off with one hand. Eva put a hand to his chest, his heart pounding with the metal of her automail as his breath pricked the back of her neck. Tonight wasn't going to end anytime soon, that was something she was sure of. With what remained of her own clothes tossed to the side, all that was left were his to discard. This…

This was really happening...

Disrobing while drunk...as common an issue, it never proved easier with experience. Roy arched his back, taking care of the few buttons that remained of his nightshirt. From there, he peeled it from his form, throwing it somewhere off the side of the bed in a careless heap. Leaning down to kiss her again, he lifted his hips to shuck off what remaining clothing he had on. Roy’s hands gripped back at her waist, and from there it wasn’t hard for them to find their way deeper into the bed. His hands found her hair again, his lips, her skin, mapping a pattern across her neck down her chest to one nipple and then the other. Even while drunk, he knew two things: not unlike a goddess, she deserved to be worshiped, and he would do just that.

He was so warm...Eva's breath stained his skin, her body pressed tightly against his, and the soft silk sheets braced against her back. She couldn't help but moan as his fingers made their first connection with soft moist flesh. Eva tilted her head back, her body already sticky with sweat from the warm evening air and invigorated by the mere sight of the man in full. Far more than she thought she'd ever see, and he was fully pressed against her body. Eva placed a kiss on his chest, slowly making her way up to his lips as his fingers did their work down below, her hips moving with his rhythm and eager to get going on something she'd never thought possible.

Roy could feel how ready she was underneath him with a single touch. She was warm, and wet, and quivering - her body covered with sweat. Grabbing her hips, he shifted their weight in sync and slowly slid inside of her, a moan slipping from his lips.

His body remembered far faster than his mind did that she was a virgin to tenderness but not to sex. By the look on her face, though, this may perhaps have been the first time she has ever truly enjoyed it. His movements were slow, gentle, and cautious, allowing her to set the pace. And with their bodies together against night he leaned down to nibble at her neck, wanting to hear her moans clearly. And just as he’d needed, they came.

Soft, breathy, and powerful, the girl let out a cry. Eva placed one hand on his hips, her own moving in waves, and her toes curling back reflexively at his swift and steady motions. Slowly, her hands traveled up his sweat covered torso to his shoulders. She was gonna need a better grip for this…

With her nails planted deep into his back, and she could have sworn she heard something emerge from his lips...something she couldn’t identify.

She didn't waste time on it. For once, her body seemed to take control. And before she knew it, she had the man flipped on his back and held down tightly by her thighs. Her hips grooved against his, and in a moment of excitement, Eva let out a cry louder than she'd ever thought possible as she leaned back. Gripping tight to the sheets, the girl kept up. If this was the one night she'd be able to enjoy herself, she wanted to make damn sure it wasn't something she'd forget.

She was a lioness, Roy decided, as her golden locks flew about her in a riotous mane. There was bliss in her eyes, and thunder in their hearts. Seeing her so free, so fierce, he drew so close, closer to the edge, and as she arched her back fiercely, a cry of elation let out from his lips matched hers. He climaxed, clinging to her hair and her name on his lips swallowed by her open mouth. They lay there panting for a moment before she rolled off of him, and he, still in his drunken haze, refused to let her go.

Sweet tender kisses, and heavy held breaths...it was hard to believe they’d found her so fast. She wouldn't be cast aside this time, not like all the other times. Sweaty and sex-messed, all he wanted was to sleep. But for now, that could wait, and Roy would make sure it did.

Soft wet droplets stained his shoulder. If she was lucky, he'd think it was just the sweat. Eva clung to his arm, reaching down and pulling her red coat over her newly damped body. When all was said and done, she found herself pulled tightly to his chest...now this was something she’d never done. One moment of fantasy. One minute of pretending before she'd give way to sleep and reality would find her once more. Just for tonight, she'd pretend it was real. Just for tonight, she could pretend she was loved.


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I know we promised we'd do things on a schedule, and this week we were supposed to post to Cirque - but with it being an unstable time for many people we decided to post to the fic most people want to read. I actually had to do all the editing myself for this one, and while I'm not too happy about that, I'm hopeful it's well received (Despite the fact that it's not that long). Hope you like what we have to offer, and enjoy this chapter! - Becca

Last night needed to be erased. There was no love. His memories were hazy. If Roy was lucky she’d have forgotten it all. With sticky skin and a pounding headache, the Colonel peeled himself free of her grasp, and rose against the sheets. He needed a shower. He needed to forget. Taking his toothbrush, toothpaste, shower supplies, and clothes, the groggy state alchemist made his way to the shower. He was supposed to protect her...not…

She had been awfully drunk...he certainly wasn't going to bring it up.

Through showers and blow dryers the girl slept soundly. With no one to cling to, she didn't waste time sprawling out and claiming the entire bed for herself. It wasn't until the balcony door slid open and closed that she found herself jolted awake with the realization. Roy Mustang had a bottle in his hand and a look on his face she didn't want to challenge. One look and she knew - last night didn't happen.

Roy took a quick sip before tossing the bottle to the trash. Someone had to clean up from the night previous after all. He wasted no time, her shirt flung near her other dirty clothes in a disrespectful manner not unlike her own. It had to look convincing. With his socks already on, he padded over to where his shoes were. He sat down, frowned, and slipped each of them on. Roy’s words were brash, and his voice unrelenting. "Get dressed, Fullmetal. We’re a day behind as it is. I’m not about to let an old friend down because you decided to sleep in."

The girl shot a tired glance over to him, the title taking years off her life and bringing her back down to reality. She didn't say anything, not that she could get a word in. A flick of his wrist, and her clothes were tossed right at her, binder and all. With her coat pulled on, and clothes in place, she decided there was no reason to shower. Not now. "I guess I sorta took up the whole bed last night...I'll look into getting my own room for tonight. Better than sleeping on the floor, wouldn’t you say?"

The Colonel nodded, waving at her in acknowledgement as he marched towards exit. He grunted as the door swung back behind him. Roy refused to let the emotions hit him again. He'd already let his regret hit him in the shower. There was food waiting downstairs for breakfast and he had a job to do. 

 

With the festival nearing its end, it was easy to secure a room. Swarms of tourists stood ready to check out - bags packed and eyes almost as tired as her own. After a short wait in line, Eva reached the front desk, demanding no less than the luxury she clearly deserved.

"Sorry, sir...I know sleeping conditions haven't been ideal. Would a suite work?"...so they were intimidated by her. That could be useful. He was an older man, his hair white and scraggly, and the shiny finish on his name tag seemed to suggest he owned the place. Carther, eh? It was good to know he respected the title - far too many times she’d shown up to hotels only to be turned away on principal. Eva grinned, buttering up to the old man and laying the salt on thick.

"Ya know, I think that'll do just fine; and with the profit you guys are making it'd be a shame if I had to pay full price for something like that. I had to sleep on the floor last night, and my back is killing me." She rubbed her back for effect, eating his compliance up. "Think you could give me a discount? Not everyday you get the hero of the people in your town."

Carther stiffened at the idea, but his mouth moved faster than his mind.. "Absolutely sir. Best room in the complex. Half price. We'll have an extra bottle of champagne ready for your leisure. Again, I'm sorry for the mix up. You must understand the position we've been put in."

Her smirk was small, undetectable, but it was enough. "That'll be fine. You've been great. I'll be sure to come back soon. Never know when I'll need a place to stay. I’ve gotta tell ya, I haven’t had service this great in a long time."

And it was clear Carther hadn’t had someone of her status in a while either. He wasted no time, handing over a bright golden key, complete with a tag embellished in deep green lettering. Looked like this place really wanted to make her kind feel special. Eva didn't have the stomach for breakfast, and the hangover wasn't helping. With a heavy sigh and a new room key, Eva strolled toward the stairs eager to get this over with.

This place didn’t hold back on breakfast, and considering Roy skipped the meal more often than not - the sizzling bacon and fluffy golden waffles were a certainly a treat. It hadn’t taken long for her to follow him down here, and the Colonel couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at her punctuality. With one eye on her, and the other on the paper, it was hard pay attention to both at once. It took a while for his nerves to settle, but after minutes of focusing and fretting about the alchemist in red, the flame alchemist finally let himself finish eating and settle into his paper.

One more cup of coffee. He’d need it for today. Minutes passed quickly with her off his mind, and breakfast tasted all the more sweet. At the end of one article, Roy raised an eyebrow and gazed up from the gazette. Where the hell had she taken off to now? Abandoning the now-empty plates, he took his half cup of coffee with him. She’d been talking to him mere moments ago. He had to know where she’d gone. Roy strolled up to the desk, cutting quick to the front of the line. "Excuse me sir. I’m looking for Edward Elric. The alchemist that was just here.” Nothing. The man’s blank stare was almost as aggravating as she was. “Don't give me that look. The Fullmetal Alchemist. The short one."

It seemed that was the detail the old man needed, his face lighting up as the sky had last night. "Oh! Yes, the youngest state alchemist on record! He's a hero, you know! We’re lucky to have him here with us. Is there something you need from him? I can phone up to his room if you’d like"

Did he recognize him at all? Roy’s grimace took a more irritant form, as he folded his arms. "I happen to be the Flame Alchemist, you know."

"The who?" The Carther gave him a confused look, which only irritated him further, but Roy’s patience was running thin. There were more important issues to attend to.

"Urgh. Nevermind. Look, I’m his superior officer, Edward..." He hated calling her that. "Edward requested a new room. Did he say that he had any intention of eating?"

The manager frowned. How would he know that? This soldier seemed intent on following all of the other’s actions.Having little time to argue otherwise, the manager gulped back his own stress and gave Roy an answer. "Not that I know of sir, but the military doesn't generally tell me anything about what's going on when they stay here, even when it comes to their own needs. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

They’d given her a suite. Of course they’d given her a suite. An ego like hers would likely have settled for nothing less. Still, she needed something in her stomach today, and it seemed as if the younger alchemist had no intention eating. Roy stepped aside, taking seconds to debate his own actions before finally caving with his conscience. Back to the buffet, he grabbed a few heaping plates of the best foods to satisfy a hangover. How he’d caught her in time, Roy didn’t know, but his hand gripped her arm just in time. “What are you doing, Fullmetal? I said we’re running behind. We don’t have time for this.”

The girl only shifted, letting her arm fall limp and body grow stiff. Eva didn’t answer, merely waiting for him to let go, before continuing off on a tangent. The red-coated alchemist leaned against a wall. Was she toying with him? Roy couldn’t tell…

“Ya know, I've never actually done a mission with you. This should be interesting. Don't hold me back, alright? After all, I am the most gifted state alchemist of this century."

That settled it. She was definitely trying to ruffle his feathers.

The Colonel growled, and thrust the plate of food into her hands. She’d nearly dropped her key in the process. Not like she’d need it. "You can’t just skip breakfast after drinking that much. Eat. You'll thank me later." He sighed, and let himself relax just a bit. With luck, they’d be outta here by tonight, but things wouldn’t be helped if she stayed hungover. "Don't give me that look, Fullmetal. I've seen how much you like to pack it in."

"Yeah, well, I kinda lost my appetite. Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Cuts back on wasted time." Ignoring orders, she was quick to return to form, it seemed the thankful and eager to please girl he'd met the day before had vanished with the night. She pushed the plate back at him, and began fumbling with the room key once more. Perhaps the aggression was a little too transparent, but with the headache the night had wrangled - Eva was all the more eager to get this fucking trip over with. "I need your room key, by the way. Gotta get my luggage for tonight, after all."

“Perhaps you should have considered grabbing your stuff when you stormed out of my room." He hurried to catch up with her, as she pushed her way into her the suite. Complete with a sofa, kitchen and what had to be the largest bed he’d seen in quite a while, this place surely would have suited them last night. At least they wouldn’t have.... When she stopped and dropped on the bed, Roy glared, thrust the plate at her again.

"I know you don't want to, but you'll get sick if you don't. I really don't want Alphonse mad at me because of something I did." Partially true... it wasn’t like Al would mind if she skipped a meal. Despite stress induce premonitions, and the irritation she caused, Roy couldn’t deny it. He cared about her, perhaps more than he cared to let on. He knew she wouldn't listen to that right now, and if Eva even slightly recalled the night before; he could rightfully assume all the respect she’d held for him would be thrown out the window. She’d been so drunk last night...they both had...

Was that why she was acting so harshly towards him?

Roy did his best to get through to her, giving a genuine smile and reaffirming his order. “Eat, Eva. I’m not leaving until you do.”

Oh, so now he was using her name. Great. Good to know. Heaving in a breath, Eva eyed him up and down. While she’d rushed to throw everything on, the Colonel looked poised and groomed just as always, as if he’d managed to skip over the night before entirely. There was no getting around this. He wasn't going to let up. Damn Bastard. Eva’s gaze drifted down to the array of dishes he’d managed to juggle up the stairs. Four fucking plates. The man was clueless. Still…

Eva shot a glare to the Colonel and stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth. "I don't know what you want from me. I lost my appetite. Sharing an office with you puts me in a really bad mood. After sharing a room I doubt I'll be able to stomach anything for weeks." Her words came out in a garbled mess, but at least she was doing as he'd asked.

Roy managed a grin and folded his arms. A slack jawed smirk dawned his face once more. "Just finish your food and meet me downstairs, okay? I’ll have the manager send your luggage up while we’re out.” Seconds after handing them over, it seemed as if the plates were nearly cleaned. It seemed as if she’d been hungry after all.

"I can take care of myself!" She barked back, but in the time it had taken to finish off what remained, it seemed Roy had already left the room. Eva set the plate down, and chased her superior out the door. He was all the way at the end of the hall. Had he even heard her? Eva didn't know. With frustration in her shoulders and a quick step, the young girl caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror before shaking off thoughts she wasn't ready for. Five minutes later, she stood greeted by a solemn frown, and familiar eyes. Walking in silence wasn't comfortable, but it would be awhile before she was as comfortable as she'd been in his arms last night…

At least with their target’s mansion in sight, the silence wouldn’t last long. Desperate to get this weekend over with, Eva rapped on the door and waited for someone - anyone - to break the tension the air held. They needn’t wait long, for with the twist of a handle, everything was set into motion.


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, due to a series of events, we've parted ways with Shannon, but don't worry, Riley and I will be updating regularly. Unfortunately, this event comes with some consequences, so I'm going to describe them here.
> 
> \- We will only be posting to one fic at a time, and since we've got most of this story done it will be here. We'll continue posting once a week, but until this fic is complete, it will only be here.  
> \- Characterizations and plans we've had are subject to change. Riley and I have come up with ideas on how we want this to go, and while it's heading in a similar direction, it won't be exactly like it would have been had all three of us worked on this property.  
> \- We've got fewer hands working on this fic, so we're going to have to ask that people be understanding if we miss an update. The two of us are both in college with jobs. We're going to do our best, but sometimes that isn't enough. 
> 
> Thank you for reading our content, and please wish Shannon the best.

Standing tall with three floors and flush with decorations, it was easy to tell why this place was suspected of corruption. The streets of the town weren't exactly destitute, but when compared to the complex... there wasn’t even a gradient of wealth. Just haves and have-nots. It was easy for her to swallow her pride and head in. Just a simple report, a small investigation. In and out. This was already as good as solved.

The Colonel eyed Eva as she kept herself two paces behind him, refusing to make eye contact. The drive over had been uncomfortably quiet. Eventually, a young woman answered. "I'm looking for Laron and Bradwer Amador." He held up his state alchemist watch for her to see.

Though young and frail, the woman’s hair was almost as white as Carther’s had been, a soft gold just managing to hit the light. She looked flustered. Ushering them into the foyer, she was quick to apologize for her employer’s behavior, "Oh, yes, pardon me, sirs, right this way. They're in the studio; I'll just call them for you." She led the two into the sitting room. Bowing, she spoke, "Please, have a seat here. The masters will be with you both shortly."

Monotonous, regimented, dull...the ticking wasn't stopping any time soon, her drumming fingers were the only thing to drown out the clock's insatiable rattling. Eva let out a huff, kicking her legs back onto the fine woven fabric of the couch cover. The tension in the air was almost as bad as it had been mere minutes ago. After what felt like hours of waiting, a short spindly man stepped into the room and sat down."

"Sorry to keep you waiting...we had an issue come up with the workers in this town's automobile factory." The town was well known for that sort of thing.

The Colonel waved it away, smiling easily at him. "It's no problem. We're here on Central's dime anyway. This may as well be a vacation. Am I right Edward?" Roy nudged her with his elbow, trying to get her to look something--anything--more than apathetic beyond reason.

Eva stiffened at the touch, but it only made her feel worse. With unease at the pit of her stomach, the girl stood without a word and started off. With several concerned eyes fixed directly onto her, Eva frowned and gave a clumsy explanation. It was the best she could come up with.

"H-hey...we were kinda running behind today. Any chance I could use your shower, Mustang tends to take up all the hot water. Funny, considering he could take care of that himself." She grumbled, folding her arms. Based on their reaction, her question was a rare one, and the look on Mustang's face was worth the embarrassment alone.

Roy glared after her, not amused. "I apologize for him. I was the same way, until I saw the front lines. Straightened me right out." He punctuated it a little loudly, knowing full well that she could hear him. Now he was being childish. He took a breath. "Either way, I'm glad things were settled so quickly at the factory. Now we have time to discuss why we came."

"Don't worry, I'm resourceful. If I go looking for something I can usually find it. Natural talent." She grinned, gesturing to herself, being sure to play herself up to piss him off. After all, she was the one they probably recognized. Fame tended to come with it's perks, and this was no exception. She smirked, checked his reaction; and before Mustang could pipe up in response, she'd left the door frame empty. First priority? Actually taking a shower.

He rubbed his forehead in irritation, deciding to ignore her antics... it would do more harm than good. As easy as it would have been to get on her case, there was no point. They had a mission to focus on. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to get things moving along, "As I was saying," He cleared his throat. "We should talk about why we're here. I'm assuming you read the notice you received before we arrived." He interlaced his fingers in his lap, studying the man before him. If he was nervous, it was hard to tell.

"Yes, and I'm guessing this is about the house." He grinned passively, pressing his hand onto one of his legs. "I'll admit, I like a lavish lifestyle. Most of the money came with my injury. The military will pay a pretty penny for men in my position. Not every soldier is willing to put their life on the line for the people they love. You can check our records. Laron and I have little to hide that can't be made public."

The colonel nodded, smiling in return. "Thank you for helping serve our country. We thank you. And, well… I thank you as well. You were one of the best officials at my academy. I don’t think anyone really was able to fill your shoes afterwards. However, you can't blame us for checking in. It is easy to wonder from the outside where the money is coming from, in comparison to the rest of the town." He chuckled. "I've already taken a look at the records you put on file. You know that I have to ask to correlate them with your own." He said, his tone evident that he wish he could be more polite about it but that he had no choice in the matter otherwise.

"Racia, would you mind bringing the Colonel and I a pot of coffee?" He looked up to the woman, the respect was clear in his voice. Then, turning back to Mustang, Bradwer tapped his pen twice, digging it into his thigh absentmindedly. "You still take yours with milk and cream, am I correct?"

The Colonel smiled, dropping the formality in his tone. "Yes, of course." Relaxing into the cushions a bit, he eyed the doorway as if someone were about to walk through it."I'm sorry that after all this time, this is how we're seeing each other again. It's been a while, hasn't it." Roy rested his hands on his lap, he asked, "How are things? When was the last time we talked?" He palmed his chin, trying to remember. They'd lost a lot of time, the two of them.

"Well," the man started with a chuckle, his eyes falling to a figure in the doorway. Roy had been right, but it wasn’t Eva this time. "I can't say things have been bad. Married for two years, surprised the military even permitted the union, but I guess there are perks to being a hero."

And as if on cue another man took a place next to the man. "Laron and I have had a lot of pushback for our relationship, and I half suspect the military is pushing this investigation so far because of the controversy.”

Laron nodded and smiled, kissing his husband on the cheek. "I wouldn't be surprised, sweetheart, but we knew that going in there would be some conflict. Some people just have trouble with change.""

Roy sighed and nodded as well. "I don't doubt it either to be honest, but there's nothing we can really do about that right now other than adhere to protocol."

"So, you wanted to see the records?" He asked. War and harassment had almost made the man docile, there was no question he wanted to put the issue behind him. "Laron keeps them in the study."

With mugs in hand, and a serving tray with all the necessities for a good pot of coffee, Racia entered the room and placed cups in front of the men."

"Ah, thank you, perfect timing, as always." For a moment, Bradwer's hand twinged with his words. "I'd say now would be a good time for a break, wouldn't you, dear?"

Kissing his husband's cheek, Laron said, "You're right; I have some business to attend to anyway." He stood and left while the two headed to the study. After they entered, taking a moment to look inside the space, Roy asked, "alright, where are the papers then?"

Bradwer stood abruptly, making his way to the door and then gesturing to it casually. He'd have to follow him all the way there. Up a flight of stairs and through two corridors they marched to a small dimly lit room filled with papers and scattered books. Someone had been studying basic alchemy. "Left desk pocket. Everything should be in order. I assume you brought notes to compare, then?" He pulled the drawer open, only to have his jaw slack open just a tad. "E-excuse me, I have to speak with my husband. Would you mind waiting outside?"

Never one to distrust his old friend, Roy agreed, stepping out into the hall. "Of course. I'll go see what Edward is up to in the meantime."

Easily spotted and all too shady, Eva stalked around the mansion, her red hood draped over her head...had he ever seen her like that before? Regardless, her attempts at sneaking about were severely lacking. She braced herself against one of the walls and rounded a corner. The hood of her long, bright red coat was expertly pulled over her face so that no one could tell it was her. Flawless. There was no denying it.

"Pssst! Fullmetal!"The Colonel hissed, "What are you doing? You realize people are staring, right?" He drew closer to to her. "Have you found anything? You certainly have been gone long enough. I'm surprised Bradwer hasn't asked about you, to be honest."

From within her red coat, Eva pulled free several papers, the mischievous expression on her face practically priceless. "Found those documents we were supposed to compare and swiped'em." Upon closer inspection, it became abundantly clear that her hair was sopping wet. She'd actually taken a goddamn shower..."they match up perfectly, but I found some eraser shavings on the paper. I'd call that proof if ya ask me."

He raised an eyebrow at her still-damp hair, mildly amused. He came closer to her, poring over the documents but refusing to take them. "Eraser shavings, really? That's what you decided was your hard evidence? Those are the originals. Of course there's bound to be eraser shavings on it.”

"I'm telling you there's something wrong with these!" She shouted, her words echoing through the corridor. Suddenly face to face with the man of the house, she tensed and pulled back.

"I guess that answers the question of where the documents went." Laughing, Bradwer grabbed the papers from Roy. He ruffled the short alchemist’s hair. "You've got a good snoop here. He's a lot smarter than he looks.

Eva resisted the urge to knee him in the testicles.

"And just as annoying." The colonel muttered, making sure she heard, eyeing her irritably. Clearing his throat, he declared, "Alright, so now that we've got the papers, can we have a look at them? Might as well get everything cleared up before we head out after all." He locked eyes with Eva for a moment. There was no way they were just going to leave.

“Wait, hold on...we’re done just like that? You haven’t done any investigating. I don’t care who this guy is, we treat him like any other-”

"But of course," he interrupted, keeping the two from paying attention to the alchemist still stewing over his comment. She looked oddly saddened, but Roy shook the guilt from his shoulders and smiled back at his superior. "I'll give you a moment to compare, and then we can head out to one of the town's local restaurants. We've got a steak parlor here that's unlike anything you've ever had. That being said, take as long as you need to. I know how difficult paperwork can be, and this isn't an easy task. I'll have Racia prepare things in the meantime and we can be on our way."

By the time he turned back to the young alchemist, however, she had already vanished from sight. No matter. Things would be much easier without that little pest, after all.

"That sounds great. I can't wait, old friend." He smiled, taking the documents in hand. "I'll just be a minute." As soon as Bradwer left, Roy poured over the documents, not bothering to leave the hallway. He paced, leaned against it, used the wall as a desk, but didn't bother to leave. He figured if he was still standing, he'd move faster. In front of him, as far as he could tell, were two identical documents. The original had some pencil erasing marks, but any original ledger is bound to. There was nothing that jumped out at him as 'illegal'. You're letting your relationship with him sway your bias. His conscious told him. He ignored it. Even if he were, he still didn't see anything wrong with the ledger. Heading out, he joined Bradwer. There were important manners to attend to.

 

Business to attend to indeed. Laron stalked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of wine off the shelf. What a lie. He sighed, his shoulders bunching at the thought. He knew a nudge to get out of a room when he saw one. Better to drink and come up with a plan to hide the evidence than ponder how to keep everything you have while sober. Popping the cork, he headed to the cabinet for a glass. But when Laron spun around, the bottle was nowhere in sight. "I may be old, but not that old." He muttered. Then, out of the corner of his eye, his eyes focused on the golden hair peeking out from around the corner. "Your name’s Edward, right? Mind giving that back? That way we can share. If we're not drunk enough, we can always open a second."

The bottle tipped back and even from behind the corner it was easy to see the little that remained slowly drained into the lucky thieves' gullet. Once emptied, she strode over to the man, patted him on the back and smirked. "All yours, pal. Thanks for the drink.” She had to wonder if all this trouble was worth the perks of being a state alchemist. Before the man could recognize what had happened, she got on her toes, reaching for a bottle of pink moscato. Not exactly strong, but at this point anything would work.

Striding over, he snatched it off the shelf. Popping it open, he examined the label for a moment. "This one is mine. You already had yours." Laron could only smile, sliding down to the floor. The boy was persistent.

“Your husband's an ass, by the way." Eva mumbled, taking a seat beside him.

Laron gulped down a glass, before taking a break to throw in his two cents. "You're telling me. I'm the one who has to live with him, kiddo." He took another swig, the bottle still out of her reach. "He's quickly becoming less of the man I fell in love with. I'm not sure whether seeing Roy out there is helping or not." He finished off most of it, sighing. "Here, have some. Don't make me regret it though."

"He's making it worse," she said without hesitation. If there was one thing she could count on the colonel for, it was making things worse. She grabbed the bottle and bitterly downed the remains. "You married a hero. That man's corrupt as they come. Look at this damn house. I know those documents are fake...I just need one shred of proof..." her voice trailed off. "Not like I'd be taken seriously..."

All at once, she became aware of the other presence in the room, and Eva did the only logical thing, "Got any more of this?"

He snorted responding to no one but himself. "Proof? You want proof? I'll give you fucking proof." He let his head fall back as he laughed. “You have my word they're fake. I've been smuggling funds for over a year and a half." He swirled the bottle around in his hand before he gulped down some more. "There wasn't nearly enough money. I started using it, but it went away so fast. So I had to cheat a bit. I decided that if it was for a worthy cause, I would do it." Laron sighed, looking into the bottle in thought. "I just wanted to give them hope, give them better lives. I knew I'd be caught eventually. I just thought he'd catch me before the military did." With that weight off his shoulders, Laron went for the next bottle, popping it open and downing a large gulp. He was going to regret this in the morning.

"Hold on," she stammered. She hadn't expected a confession at all, let alone one like that. "Th-this has nothing to do with the house and food and servants? How the hell do you guys afford all this? You're mid-ranking military officers in a shitty little town! Hell, the railway doesn't even pass through here! If you guys aren't smuggling for this, where the hell is the money coming from?" For as much as she'd had to drink, the blonde seemed fired up.

He shrugged. "War hero, remember? He milked it as much as he could get it, especially since he and I were already out and engaged, he claimed they were discriminating against him because of who we love." He wobbled a bit, taking another large swig. "He won, of course, but it’s not like they ever cared to begin with. They just didn't want something like this causing a huge scandal, so they paid us, and it was enough to have our wedding, honeymoon, and this house." He shook his head. "I still can't be sure if I should be proud of him or not."

"Wait a minute," It took a while for her to find the right words. Damn, maybe three bottles was a little overboard. "Why the hell didn't you take the money from the bribe instead? If you two are loaded why would you have to steal the funds? Stealing from the military that gave you this damn lifestyle's kinda goes against what you're aiming for. Even if you're not using it for your own gains, that money's could drag you down and Brawder with it."

To that, Laron couldn’t respond, shifting in his socks once more before taking another drink."

What the hell was she gonna do with this? She had a confession, sure, but from a man with noble intentions and an asshole keeping him down. Maybe....maybe she'd have to let him carry on. After all, "People break the rules for good reasons..." Then, gripping tight to the nearest bottle, she downed it before he could make a grab for it. It hadn't taken a second thought. There was no way she could turn him in. "Does he love you?" She was almost afraid to ask, the dark circles and frail form he held gave her impressions, but things weren't always as they seemed. "Hell, I might as well ask if you love him."

"It's funny..." He said with a sigh. "I was just asking those questions myself not five minutes before you stole my wine." Looking down at his hands, he relaxed against a table leg. "I guess you could call that a ‘no’, but it’s not that easy. I am still in love with the man that he used to be, but he isn't that man anymore. It's hard to differentiate the two when they wear the same face, though."

That was worthy of a scoff and another drink. People only answered things like that if they didn't know what to do. She rested a hand on his shoulder, completely inept when it came to comforting anyone other than Al or Winry. "Look...I'm not an expert on these things, and I'm not gonna pretend to be anything but an alchemist in over his head, but...I think the first step towards fixing this is gonna be telling the truth. It's not always easy to admit, believe me..." She leaned back against the wall. "Sometimes you end up rediscovering an ally you thought you'd lost, but..." Eva looked up to the door frame, expecting to see something, but it remained empty, and she turned her gaze back to the man before her. "Other times you end up lonelier than you thought you could be. I can't make that decision for you...this is gonna be on you..."

He placed an appreciative hand on hers. "Maybe you're right." He drained the rest of the bottle. "Either way, I'll find out what kind of man he has become by how he reacts to what I tell him." He shrugged, then burped. "Well, that'll have to be tomorrow. I doubt he'll believe a word I say after all of this." He laughed halfheartedly, pulling himself to a stand and starting for the door. “I’ll have Racia prepare a room for you, thank you for listening, Edward. I won’t forget this.” Laron tipped his bottle to her, then left her to herself.

...Shit tomorrow? How long had they been at this? Eva looked to the clock to find the time had melted by. Dammit! Steadying herself on the stove, she pulled herself up into a wobbly stand, only to slide back down only moments later. Where had he gone? She didn't even know his name...the man seemed to have vanished, leaving her in a stupor on the kitchen floor. Everything was too damn hazy, and with the world slowly going silent, Eva shut her eyes and took in a breath, letting herself sleep.


	8. Chapter Seven

Her too huh? Roy had to stifle a laugh at the sight. Asleep on the kitchen floor with an empty bottle clutched in her hand, Eva lay in a drunken haze. Had he been drinking alone, perhaps he’d be in the same state right now. It only took a moment for the guilt to set in, and far more to get down on her level without falling over beside her.

“Hey...Fullmetal…” he started, the name on its own causing her to shift. Eva’s eyes sent a shiver down his spine, their golden hue far more piercing in the night.

“The hell d’you want?” she managed to get out, albeit through clear intoxication. She couldn’t have been out for long. Eva braced herself against a nearby cabinet in an attempt to stay balanced. 

For the both of them, it almost seemed as if the room was turning, but Roy kept steady, and sat down beside her. This time, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “We’ve gotta stop doing this. I haven’t gotten this drunk since…” His voice trailed off. The Colonel wasn’t about to mention him.

Eva kept silent in agreement. 

She turned to the man, willing herself to bring up the night before, but nothing came out. The Alchemist merely yawned and found herself caught up in her own laughter. She had to tell him something…

Dammit...what was it?

Roy stared at the giggling girl, nonplussed. “Anyway, Bradwer gave us a room for the night. Gotta be better than sleeping on the floor, right?” Smiling, he managed to stumble to his feet before extending a hand to the girl on the ground. In a small way, he was thankful he’d found her again. Better drunk than dead. 

She reached up, grasping it tightly, the two of them nearly falling to the ground in the process. After a rough start, the two made their way to the room together. With only one bed, Eva and Roy fell asleep in a vaguely loving pile. Whatever she had to tell him would have to wait at least a little while longer.

Why was he always up earlier than her? Roy couldn’t help his irritation at the situation, but that wasn’t about to stop him from lending a helping hand. Carrying a glass of water and some pills to the bedside, the Colonel sat in the chair beside Eva's sleeping form. Perhaps for the first time, the girl seemed at peace. He took the moment to appreciate her tranquility. She was going to be hell when she woke up, but at least this morning he could combat their hangovers. After downing two pills of his own, Roy figured they should get moving. “Alright, Elric. It’s almost noon...you can’t lay in bed forever. ” He muttered. If only this instant could last...

It didn’t.

With a thump, a pillow went to his face, and though she hadn't intended it, water spilled across the bed, causing the alchemist to nearly leap up in shock. Face to face with the Colonel, she could hear laughter from behind a layer of fluff. Damn… she was lucky someone stripped off her binder before passing out. "Fuck you..." she mumbled, yanking herself out of bed despite the headache and her newfound aversion to bright lights.

As soon as his laughter tempered, Roy managed a sigh. He handed her what remained of the glass, passing the pills off as well. "Here,” he started, “Take them. They'll make you feel a little better, not that they can heal you hating me..." He gave her a sad yet amused smile. Bittersweet, almost. "Besides, we have work to do, since we have nothing to report on what happened to the funds."

“I wouldn’t necessarily say that…” Eva bit her lip. Although last night was foggy, she’d still been lucid enough to remember Laron’s admission of guilt. In retrospect, she was unsure if it was a good idea to tell Mustang this. No idea of what side he would take.

Mustang fixed his eyes on her like a wolf to a wounded deer. “Fullmetal, did you come across something?”

The girl sighed, stretching out the moment that she’d actually have to come up with an answer. She supposed he’d figure it out eventually.

"...the money is going to the people of this town..."

She let the words fall just loud enough for him to hear, but in enough silence to be held by the room's walls. Ragged and raw, she looked up to him with certainty. How long had it been since she'd looked like that? "The husband told me last night over drinks...he's going to tell your friend today." Eva laughed at the idea, she'd given him that advice...if it tore his life apart she didn't know what she'd do. "Given the circumstances...I either saved or ruined a marriage...it's funny when ya think about it, really..."

He let a frustrated jet of air escape his nostrils before rubbing his eyes with a gloved hand. Of course there was a complication. “He’s helping the town with his money? You’re joking, right?” He paced around the room, his mind racing with possibilities. “If we bust them, we’ll probably bring the economy of the whole town with it. The funding they took was quite significant. And this town… they can hardly support a specialty automobile factory without the additional funding for schooling, shipping, migrant workers, and upkeep. They make sports cars for God’s sake!” He continued to rant on before re-noticing Eva. “Got any good ideas?” 

Eva drew in a deep breath before matching her eyes with his, this wasn't gonna be easy. "I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

“No need to worry about that now…” He sighed, shaking his head. “Besides, you could barely speak last night. Not like you’d have been able to say anything.” She...she wasn’t talking about that, was she? Roy’s shoulders sagged a bit as she took to finishing her thoughts.

Even saying the words out loud was hard, with as harsh as she was being it wasn't a surprise he thought that way. Still, he deserved to know, and she settled on words he needed to hear instead. "I don't hate you..."

Shocked, he sat back down in the chair across from her. "What do mean you don't hate me? You've been avoiding me, spitting insults at me whenever you get the chance, glaring at me..." He shook his head. "If you don't hate me, then what? There's certainly something wrong." He hated himself, all things considered.

“I’ve always done that.” Though her words were sincere, she knew exactly what he meant. Maybe...maybe he didn't remember. Eva could feel guilt seeping into her shoulders like sludge. What the hell had she expected? The young alchemist frowned, finally grabbed the pills he’d provided, and swallowed them with her pride. "Can we start over...?"

Judging by the look on his face, she guessed that wasn't possible. Still, she had to try...

"I made a mistake by not telling you...and I can't take that back, but what I can do, is throw the past away, or at least...try to..." When it came to her superior, Eva often found it hard to be honest, not only with herself, but with him as well… but the blonde looked up at him, practically pleading. "I-I guess I don't quite know how to handle having you at my back..." She lied, the girl's voice quaking with emotion. "Falling back on old habits hasn't helped, and...I know you're just trying to help. If you want, we can pretend you never found out..."

Would it really be better to pretend this had never happened? He would have liked to go back to the status quo, but he knew more than anyone the world didn’t work that way. He had to accept what he’d discovered. "It's okay, Eva. We can start over if you want, but I'm not forgetting who you are. I told you, I'm here to protect you. I can't do that to my fullest ability without that." He resolved himself to take this secret as close to the grave as possible "Well, since we’ve got no time restraints, why don’t you wash up?” It’s not like she didn’t know how to find the shower. “I'll fetch us something to eat. We can talk about the case over breakfast." Nothing about this was normal, but perhaps with time, it could be. If she wanted to forget, he wasn’t about to stand in her way.

Before he could leave, Roy's hand caught on hers. Standing in the dark room, and held back only by a tight grasp; she pulled him back around and extended her hand for him to shake.

If this was happening, it was starting out right.

"I'm lucky to have the Flame Alchemist on my side. I'm sure it'll be an absolute pleasure serving beneath you." Now that was more like it...finally with the tension starting to slip, she felt okay pulling back to how they'd once been. With luck, Eva would put this weekend behind her, and perhaps even in time, she'd find it forgotten. But, for now - this was what they had. That was okay.

He faked a smile, silently nostalgic for the intimacy they shared. He took her hand and shook it, though, as she wished. "I’m lucky to have you. Anyone working with the you would be." He dropped his hand, and walking to the door, asked, "So, breakfast then? I'll ask Racia to make you something while you wash up."

From feet down below came marching steps loud enough to bare through the floors above and into their room. So much for Roy’s plans. A single glance to each other took the two down flights of stairs just in time to see a poor man carried off by coats of blue. Bradwer stood to the side, oddly silent and withdrawn, a clear look of remorse upon his wrinkled face. It seemed as if he wasn't processing one of the other soldiers words, and with his husband carried off, only five words registered to his ears. 'You did the right thing.'

Within second, Roy was at his side. “You going to be alright?” He had to ask, but with no response to go on, The Colonel let out a sigh. "Edward figured it out last night. He told me this morning," And just like that, Bradwer heard those words once more. “I know this is hard, but you did the right thing.” 

A broken glance to the man he loved brought everything forward, but Bradwer quickly turned his attention to Roy. His voice, once cocky and polished, faltered, as if he was unsure of his words. How could he not be? "I'm going to go up a rank for coming forward. I'm not even an active soldier, and they're granting that. More pay...more respect..." The words trailed off. What was he going to do with himself in this big house all alone? "I did the right thing...right?" After everything was said and done, he didn't know. The soldiers had begun to clear the way…

Edward’s face was near white - it seemed as if the boy was going to be sick…

"You did what you were supposed to do," Roy decided that was all the comfort he could provide the man with. "A whole rank..." He shook his head. What a waste. He turned to look his fellow soldier, his friend in the eye. "I'm here if you need me. I'm a phone call away. You asked me to come for this, and I did. I'll come if you need me to again, alright?"

All the man could do was nod and watch his other half leave. Mustang's words barely registered. Everything had become almost numb since they'd arrived. With the weight of two lives on his shoulders, the man turned away and did the only thing he could. Life had to continue on, but there wouldn't be a day his thoughts didn't fall to those words. It's hard to keep going when the one you love curses your name.

"We should go." Roy gave him a bitter grin and squeezed his shoulder. "I wasn't kidding about calling me." The Colonel gave a sad glance to his subordinate, and resolved to moving forward. "We need to grab our things and head back to Central. We're done here." He headed back up the stairs and into the bedroom, gathered up what he'd left behind. They'd need to stop at the hotel before they left, but that was okay. They'd need to return the keys at the front desk as well. With stray clothes in his arms, and a slowed heavy step, Roy spun to the door only to be stopped in his tracks. “I’ve got everything, Fullmetal. We should head out and-” 

She pulled the door shut behind them, the only light in the room came from a dulled bedside lamp. Eva's expression was hard to identify. Three steps forward...she stopped in front of the Colonel, and without warning draped her arms around him tightly, burying her head in his coat.

She didn’t need to explain herself. It was harder than she'd thought to keep her emotions in check, but as she pulled away, the girl laughed bitterly, wiping away tears that hadn't fallen, and quickly grabbed her stray coat from the bed. For the first time since he'd promised her, she actually believed Roy wasn't going to turn her in or use her, or force her to be anything she wasn't. Perhaps he understood.

Roy stood frozen solid, his arms half ready to wrap around her despite the fact that she’d left the room. Why had she needed that? Did he need it too? She....She was upset about what had happened, and she wished things were different. He sighed. That simple pronoun, she, seemed to carry more weight than he’d ever given it before. Still, why did she trust him after everything they’d been through? They’d agreed to forget that night...but...

He respected it because he cared, not because he wanted to. It was a full minute before he made his way downstairs. One more stray look to the Alchemist brought everything back. It couldn’t have been helped...could it? Was this the only way they could exist? For the first time in a long while, Roy found himself yearning for simplicity.


	9. Chapter Eight

Winding roads brought the the alchemists home at a snail's pace. Each passing building and tree had a calming effect on the girl, and Eva found herself forgetting the mission in the daze of inactivity. But with every abrupt stop and the distant sound, she was jolted back into consciousness. It was far harder to find sleep on the way home than it was in in their journey north. Finally, with the sun below the horizon, the Colonel pulled them to the front of her building. She’d feigned sleep the entire way here, why stop now? Roy brushed her shoulder gently, “Hey, we’re home…”

As if she didn’t already know…

Eva stretched, faked a yawn, and rubbed her neck. “Gotta admit it. Sure as hell better than train seats, but that doesn’t mean they’re comfortable.” He seemed sad? The alchemist couldn’t quite put a finger on his expression before it changed. Al’s arrival certainly didn’t help. Always one to worry on her part, her younger brother came tearing out towards them as fast as a large, cumbersome metal suit of armor could. It was clear even in a glimpse that their days apart hadn’t done well for him.

She stretched, pulled the door open, and welcomed a hug after everything she’d been through. Even as a shell, Alphonse always had a genius for embracing loved ones.

"Ev-...Brother, did it go well?” He stiffened, hoping Roy hadn’t noticed his mistake. “You never said goodbye, and I thought-" Something was off… The armored boy examined his sister up and down before shifting his attention to the Colonel. What was going on? "Come inside, and tell me what happened." He nearly yanked her arm off in rushing to the door. Had Mustang not been ready with her luggage, he’d have missed them entirely. He just caught the two of them in front of their apartment before they could close the door on him.

He looked from Mustang, and then to Eva. She wasn’t wearing her binder, and she didn’t seem to be disguising her voice. “B-brother… does Colonel Mustang know about…?” He was nervous about putting anything to words, in fear that he might clue the military officer in. Al’s eyes shifted to the colonel’s hands. No mistaking the binder.

Eva exhaled a sharp breath. “Of course he does. He’s not oblivious.” She angrily scanned the hallway, gauging the tension across the three of them.

Finally in a safe place, and yet the room still felt like a minefield. Typical.

Indignantly seeking calm, Eva decompressed on their only couch, kicking off her dusty boots. After weeks of constantly being on her guard, this was a welcome change. "Look, I don't know why we're doing this. It's like I said, Roy found out, promised to keep quiet, and that's where it ends. Nothing past that. I don't know what you're so worked up about. Nothing happened, he'll tell ya himself if my word's not enough." By the time she looked back to the two, Eva's shoulders bunched. Alphonse was staring. "Don't give me that, look, I'm telling the truth."

Roy frowned. "Calm down, Eva. Your brother’s only worried." Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall.

"'Eva?'" Al echoed. That was just great. "He's calling you 'Eva' now? You go on one solo mission with him and somehow he knows your secret? This is the opposite of what we planned!"

Roy managed a sheepish grin, and took to scratching the back of his neck. "In her defense, it was my fault. No getting around walking in on someone..." Al’s helmet somehow managed to look flustered. He didn’t need details.

"Nothing's gonna get out, okay?" She grumbled, rather irritated at the situation. After a long mission like that, the last thing she wanted was to be interrogated. "Roy's one of the good ones, he’s a pain in the ass, but it's the truth." Roy puffed up a little at the minor insult.

"Look, knowing this helps me out. I’m her superior, part of my job is keeping you both safe. As long as she follows orders, this shouldn’t change anything. I don’t ask anything more than you’ve already given, although I’ll admit, a little more respect would be nice.”

Eva shot straight up. Something he'd said sent a jolt through her, and she wasn't about to let that go. "Yeah, well if following orders means turning in the people you love, maybe this just isn't the job for me." She spat back, obviously still frustrated by the mission itself. "Kinda surprised you're going this route, it's not the route he took, is it?"

Roy gritted his teeth. "He chose the betterment of the country. I'm sorry if that just so happens to be something you disapprove of. We all have to make those decisions." The Colonel narrowed his gaze, finding it difficult to keep to his stance. "He may be my friend but he's a narcissistic old man who knew he'd be left with nothing if he didn't turn his husband in." He took a deep breath. "I, on the other hand, have choices. You're not a pawn to be played, Eva. There are other ways for me to become Fuhrer.”

"He'd have the man he loved..." She mumbled, rising from her seat and dragging her suitcase towards her room, silently bitter about the situation. "Come on, Al..." She turned back, her eyes connecting with Roy's. Eva shifted the bulk of her weight onto her right leg, and pulled her hair down from her braid with her free hand.

"I'd get home if I were you. You're gonna have a lot of papers to fill out."

He sighed and nodded. There was no point in arguing with her. Roy set her binder on a nearby dresser, and gave in. "You're certainly right about the paperwork, I'll go." He rubbed his neck, muttering as he left. "Goodnight, Eva, Alphonse. Just… take care of yourself, alright?”

And just as quickly as he’d arrived, Roy was gone, leaving the girl to face truth on her own. Without the Colonel, Alphonse was ready flood her with questions. "Alright, Sis, what really happened?"

Her eyes didn't leave the floor, and rather than actually answer his questions, the alchemist took to disrobing. "Ya know, it's been a long weekend, I'm gonna get some sleep. Sleeping in is gonna feel good tomorrow." Eva donned a large shirt and tossed her suitcase to the side. She didn’t care where it landed, because reacquainting herself with her bed was the much more pressing matter.

"You didn't..." Alphonse found his mind wandering to the same question concerning the Colonel. Instead, he motioned with his arms in terms he'd rather not say. "You know, with him? He didn't insist, did he? You can tell me the truth, Sis. I just want y-”

"It didn't happen." She shot back before he could finish, the words more forceful than Eva intended them to be. She shot a glance to her brother, but it didn't last. Before he could even respond, she curled up beneath the blankets and looked away. Perhaps the weight of her words hadn't hit until now. "Ya know, we should start keeping drinks around the house...I didn't realize it until now, but I'm a real lightweight..." Her voice trailed off once more, and Eva looked to the cracked ceiling, staring as if it was all that kept things right. "It's hard to have nightmares with that stuff...might keep Mom's face out of my dreams..."

Alphonse shook his head, metal against metal squeaking. With the lights switched off, Al settled down into the corner. "You don't need that stuff, Sister..." He paused, silence filling the room. "Charles called. He wants to see you tomorrow morning." Why was he always the bearer of bad news? "Seven. I tried to tell him later, but he wouldn't listen."

The alchemist turned over, gripping tightly to her blankets. There was no escaping it. No matter how much she'd fight and how many people she'd save, it all came back to him. She was late as it is...two days to be exact, and Charles Davis wasn't a patient man... Eva pulled the blanket closer, and all at once was thankful for Roy once more. What a blunt reminder...hell, after everything, she'd have preferred a kick to the teeth. "Not like I can keep him waiting any longer..." She sighed, setting an alarm. "I'm sorry you had to take that call." There was almost a reverence in her hollow voice, piercing right through his metal frame. By now she'd lost track of how many times he'd called. It was never gonna be enough.

"I was just happy to have it be one less time you had to hear his voice." He replied, but she was already asleep, cocooned in her blankets. He sat back and stared out the window. It was going to be a long night.

 

Roy stared down at the paperwork on his desk in frustration. The words were starting to bleed together, his eyes losing focus. He couldn't sit still right now. He needed to move. 

There he was, worn ragged and having barely gotten a wink of sleep. After all those years, she'd notice it anywhere. Roy's hands shook where he stood, he'd clearly not had his coffee yet. She supposed the weekend with Fullmetal couldn't have been good, but this bad? Riza merely sighed and approached. "Rough evening sir?" She asked, knowingly, her palm to her forehead in salute. Truth be told, she'd barely gotten any sleep either.

He stretched, trying to get some feeling back in his knees. "You could say that. Sometimes the cases that you work with are a little too close to home." He shook his head, and gave a bitter smile to no one but himself. "It was a favor for a friend, and I delivered on my promise. If nothing else, I can't be faulted for that, can I?" He sighed, groaned. "Where's the damn coffee?"

"I'm not your errand girl, sir." Riza met his eyes with her own. How familiar was this scene? The Lieutenant couldn't help but give a subtle smile. "The office has been rather quiet without the two of you arguing. It's been kinda nice, at least from a working standpoint." As rare as it was for them both to be occupying the same space, Ed's banter with the Colonel was enough to give her a splitting headache. Whoever was responsible for leaving those two alone on a mission would likely be getting a strongly worded letter from the Colonel, and that was something she'd pay to read.

Roy conceded defeat. “Apologies, Hawkeye. I’m a bit on edge. Might be better if I go get the coffee.” He minimally straightened up the clutter on his desk before standing up. "I’ve been here too long. Too much paperwork and not enough action. I'd much rather be doing something." The colonel knew that inactivity wasn’t the only thing making him antsy. Every second Eva was gone, that was another moment he worried. About what… that was beyond him. Was it self preservation, or did he really care? The only certainty was that he didn’t want to see her today. No doubt she’d sleep until at least noon, but there was no telling where she’d be after that. Every corner was a landmine, as far as he was concerned. Finding comfort in that certainty, Roy left for the cafeteria.

The empty halls of central seemed static without people to fill the space. Roy hadn’t noticed before, but somehow the world seemed almost organized in these early hours. It didn’t take long for him find trouble. Towards the end of the corridor beneath the flicker of a medical sign, he could hear a familiar voice. Eva? She was accompanied by the acerbic voice of Charles Davis.

"Two days late, I thought we had a deal, Fullmetal." The doctor’s voice was a dominating force. Like each time before, it was too early to be heard by anyone important. "You understand what happens if you make me wait again, I am a very patient man. I can take a lot, but this is the third time, now isn't it, Edward?"

What was she doing here? Her tongue held something unidentifiable, obedience didn't suit that voice.

"Yes sir." She kept her responses short as a sign of submissiveness. There was no point in arguing with this man. Charles clicked his pen and smirked, leaning back in his chair.  
The Colonel had never gotten those words from her. Apparently it wasn’t authority that she responded to.

"You understand I can't take actions like this lightly, Edward. This is going to cost you, but, seeing as we only have about an hour, that can wait a day or so." His smile only broadened as the coat came off, and another 'yes sir' fell from her lips. It was good seeing her like that. She'd been so eager to fight it at first. It made him laugh knowing he'd broken her. He always could.

Roy pushed through the door, doing his best to keep from losing his temper. Davis. He’d never liked the bastard, and after what Eva had told him, well, he only despised the man even more. "Good morning, Edward, Doctor Davis. I couldn't help but overhear. Is there a problem?"

"Nothing I can't handle myself. I hear the two of you had a little vacation this weekend. Edward merely forgot to reschedule his appointment. Normally I don't charge patients for their examinations, I am an employee of the military after all, but he provided no communication on his cancellation. And on such a full week too..." Lying came so easy to the man. Eva shifted on the medical cot, avoiding eye contact. "If you will, why don't you close the door on the way out? We're low on time as it is, and I'd hate to run over on a day like today."

The offices were about to get pretty crowded. Worn and tired, she finally glanced up, silently begging him to follow Davis' instructions.

No such luck... Roy crossed his arms, raised an eyebrow. "I'll need to see your records." He eyed her, sitting folded in on herself on the table. Here in his office, she looked nothing like herself. All the strength Eva carried was lost behind these doors. "Edward never mentioned he had an appointment, and it's not on my calendar." Roy stared Charles down, but the Doctor seemed unphased. Roy wasn't going to go until she walked out of here with him.

Eva's body went frigid at his words, pitifully shrinking back and crumpling under the exhaustion and tension. Why the hell was he mad at what she was doing? He knew the situation, and she hadn't lied to him...it...it had just came up. Still, she felt the Colonel's eyes directly on her, and Eva actually opened her mouth to defend the man before Charles spoke for himself.

"I'm afraid you don't have access to those. That's the thing about records, Colonel Mustang, they're classified.” Davis kept himself composed, and challenged him with a toothy grin. Fully standing, the man was all the more intimidating, but next to the Colonel, the doctor’s brawn almost seemed a disadvantage. “Now again, I'm a very busy man, and I don't have all day. You're cutting into his appointment as it is. Be a dear and get the door, Edward."

Hearing that name, Eva shot up and started for the door, only to be stopped by the Colonel. The tension in her shoulders only grew more prevalent with his hand on them.

Roy kept his grip gentle but firm. "I didn't want to pull rank on you, Doctor, but I'm afraid I have to. Give me the files, that’s an order." He turned a sorry gaze down to her, knowing that there was little he could do to rectify himself. He could help, however. Back to Charles. "I said give me the files"

Davis shifted, and in the moments it took to follow orders, Roy determined there was little he could bring up that the doctor wouldn’t resist. Still, the man bit his tongue, and bitterly handed her folder off.

The official appointments were sorted by year and lined in a row of tightly boxed data, right before Roy's eyes. With a frown, the doctor handed them over and shot a glare to the young girl. Eva pretended not to notice.

"We called an emergency to check up on his automail. Edward called me last night, and made the appointment himself, didn't you, Fullmetal?" He grinned, clearly uneasy, but not about to give up without a fight. Charles Davis' eyes never left her body, eagerly prodding the blonde for a 'yes' he knew he'd eventually get.

Eva said nothing in return.

The colonel raised an eyebrow, glancing up as he flipped through the documents. "Didn't you just say that he'd missed his appointment and needed to reschedule?" He turned a page, finding what he was looking for. "Also, you're an MD, not a mechanic. You don't know automail. If Edward wanted to check his automail, he'd go see his mechanic." He paused, grinning. "You've got nothing here for either of these so called 'appointments'."

"I'm afraid I'm a rather disorganized man, sir..." He lied, trying best to save face. Roy's expression was all he needed, the man knew, and it was time to drop the bullshit. He rose to his feet, shut the door behind the two of them, finding it easy to ignore the blonde’s presence.

He crossed to behind Eva, resting his hands on her shoulders. The doctor seemed to transform, shadows deepening along the lines of his face. It was as if the exchange between Roy and Charles had just turned into a hostage situation.

"Listen, Colonel. The whore and I made an agreement, and I'm not about to let you stand in the way of that. I don't care what promises she made you or what deals you cut. They're below mine. I was the first, and I am not letting you cheat me out of my deal. I don’t care how well she fucked you. I'm running this show. Understand?"  
Eva's fist balled at his words, but she didn't let any fall from her lips. Still, that didn't stop her from scratching his hand with the edge of her automail. She'd pay for that later, and she knew it, but it felt so sweet.

Roy leaned against the wall, and threw his head back in a laugh. “Here's the thing. You may have ‘had’ her beforehand, but that doesn't make her ‘yours’. She's her own person. You have nothing to use against us, no records to use. I, on the other hand, see several cases of malpractice in these records, just in her file alone. It'd be a shame to see what the others consisted of, now wouldn't it? So, here's the deal. I, as your superior, am going to walk out of here with another respected and honored state alchemist, and a copy of her file, and you are going to do nothing about it. You are not going to call Eva again for anything. You are going to put those documents where they belong, and you are going to ask your assistant to get you a cup of coffee. It's going to be a long day." Mustang flipped her file closed, and started for the door. It didn’t take long for Fullmetal to follow.

Eva...so that was her name. As the two stepped out of his office, Charles couldn't help but feel cheated by the Flame Alchemist. With the door closed once more, Doctor Davis took to frantically pulling out files and changing records. Roy Mustang was not a man of empty threats, and it paid to be cautious, but Charles would have to bide his time. With a sour tongue and a sneer, he called to his assistant, and ordered coffee as he'd intended. It didn't take long for him to dial another name from his files as soon as he'd left. There was always another name. There was always another girl.


	10. Chapter Nine

Evangeline, at a loss for words, stood stiff against the wall. Her breath caught on the words he'd spoken, and on the fear that it wasn't enough. Never before had her words been so jumbled when it came to the Colonel. At this rate, she was gonna end up owing too much...

She straightened, took in a breath, and finally gave meaning to his patience.  
"I-I'm sorry you had to see that. I'll buy you coffee, make it up to you." She gave an uneasy grin, hoping it would suffice. This starting over thing was going to take some getting used to. It would be hard to get back to the sarcasm she'd once thrown at him. Was it even possible to get that back? Eva didn't know.

"Are you alright, Eva?" He asked her quietly. Usually, Roy’s face was a hard thing to parse. Now, though, his wide eyes and clenched teeth were loud indicators of concern. "...That's all that matters right now." Her expression seemed like that of death. 

A shiver sent up her body, but it didn’t take long for her to croak out a soft, “I’m fine.” There was a part of her, a small part, weighed down by his concern. Surely it wouldn't last.

"You can buy me coffee if you want." He shrugged, "If it'll make you feel like you don't owe me anything, then I'll accept it." He wanted to explain to her why he had to protect her, why he had to do this. He wanted to fix his mistakes, but he knew they were too far broken to change. So he pushed on. "So, I'll ask again. Are you alright?" He lifted her chin with a finger, their gazes meeting.

In any other situation, had she not been cowering, had he not been worried for her well-being, this would have been nice. One deep breath as their eyes locked, and then all she could do was pull away. “I-I said I’m fine.” Her lips quivered. Eva took to brushing herself off. In times like these it helped to avoid his gaze.

All at once, she felt the feeling return to her body. The downtrodden girl looked away, thankful for the empty morning halls and the fact that her name came so easily on his tongue. Reality slowly began to return, and this time, she found herself leaning against the wall instead. "Three years now...we made this deal the second he found out, and as soon as I hit that legal age… we started meeting every month. Hell, I'm surprised nothing happened between now and then to fuck things up..." She was rambling again, wasn’t she? 

Roy looked back in the direction of the clinic, only for a moment. The fact that someone would do that to her… If it wasn’t for Charles knowing Eva’s secret, he would have had the piece of shit stripped of all rank and imprisoned.

"You take your coffee with three creams and four sugars, right? Never quite had the taste for it myself, but it's not like I need it." Surely that was enough. Attempting to return to form, Eva let out a yawn and folded her arms. Each attempt at what seemed normal left her fumbling with words. Why wasn’t this working? Whatever the reason, she faked a smile as two soldiers passed by. At the very least, the military offices weren’t hot anymore. "It shouldn't be too hard to find around here. Think you can help me find ya something like that?"

The color drained from his face. Three years? And that was only the times after she'd been legally an adult. He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her back into the hallway. "Why didn't you ask for someone's help? Three years of him doing this to you and it didn't cross your mind?" Nearly brushing a strand out of her eye, he recoiled, as if his touch was part of the problem. He wanted to hold her in his arms, let her cry. The way she’d been so emotionless this morning… had she really been holding back three years? There was no chance he could help her with this kind of pain. He’d already pushed her away from himself.

"Of course it did, you idiot!" She shouted back, letting anger take sadness away. 'Didn't it cross her mind' what the hell kinda question was that? "It's not like I didn't want help! It's kinda hard to ask for that sort of thing when the only guy in your corner is lying dead six feet below the damn ground! I did what I had to to survive, and I'd do it again for Al's sake! I'm not gonna stop until I make things right by him no matter what that takes. You think I was gonna let someone like that stand in my way?!"

He sighed, closed his eyes. His hand dropped to his side and he stepped out into the hallway, hoping they hadn't drawn a crowd with her outburst. Shit. He knew he shouldn't have pushed it. "I'm sorry, Eva." His words were powerless. "Forgive me." He paused, a breath. She’d let him know something traumatic… and he responded by questioning her competence. It was an understatement to call that a faux pas. "I shouldn't have asked. C'mon. Let's just go get that coffee." He couldn't look at her. He wasn't sure what he would do if he did.

The halls were empty, right? It wouldn't be that way for long...

As soon as she'd caught up, Eva took his hand and squeezed it gently letting out a heavy breath. A soft ‘thank you’ and the young alchemist started ahead of him. She shot one more glance back to the doctor's office, before turning and making her way towards their cafeteria. He wasn't fighting back, and there was a part of her that didn't like that. Something was wrong, but she brushed the thought away. Eva didn’t have time for this. She had to keep moving forward. "By the way, after the coffee, I'm sleeping in your office. That bastard ruined my plans for this morning, and after that mission, I'm gonna need to catch up in that area."

When the two of them rounded the corner, he couldn’t help but try, "Go ahead. I'm still stuck doing paperwork. As long as your snoring doesn't get in my way, I’d say you’ve got the room to yourself." Roy prodded her, hoping to get a response. It had been so long since she’d given a retort. Just a quick bit of sarcasm...anything would do. It wasn’t enough, though, and she wasn't ready to laugh, either.

"What, did my snoring keep you up all night this weekend? What a shame. I'll be sure to work on that the next time we both get sent on a mission to see your other traitor military friends. Now, I forgot, who exactly figured things out in the first place?" Perhaps a little too harsh, but at least she was back in the game. Eva relaxed at last as they began descending the long cumbersome flight of stairs. Slowly but surely, people began to fill the halls. It wouldn't be long until this place began bustling. Come to think of it, the hour was almost up. Al would be expecting her home soon. He always got so panicky after those meetings. She couldn't wait to hear the relief in his voice with the news that those days were over.

Harsh, but at least it had some bite to it. "I can't tell you what to believe about me or my decisions. You have every right to your own opinions. However, that doesn't mean that you get to voice these opinions whenever you feel like it. That's how you find yourself in prison. That's how wars are started. Bradwer was a friend of mine. I went out to see him because I owed him a favor, and because I hadn't seen him since their engagement party. Not that it matters now, I just have to deal with the paperwork." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I could really use that coffee now.”

"Well then, Colonel, I guess that means we're at war." She smirked as they reached the bottom of the stairs, popping her hip to the side and folding her arms. "Don't think just cause I'm buying you coffee that this is over. Until you can admit your 'old war buddy' fucked over his only chance at happiness, think of us on opposite sides." She stood her ground. Now that was the alchemist he knew.

He sighed and shook his head, "I know he fucked Laron over. That wasn't the argument." Her smug face was an indication that her personality was back with a vengeance. "There was no other choice." He strode away, headed for the coffee stand. "I could really go for something stronger than this..." The desire to start drinking was hard to ignore, but he tried to catch himself. "Paperwork’s a nightmare while buzzed, though." He didn't look back at her, didn't dare to. 

Eva froze, considered his words for a moment, and made her way to his side, pulling a flask from her pocket. "Look, Al says I need to stop drinking anyway, so you may as well take this. As long as you don't go too hard I doubt it'll make a difference. Hell, you could probably mix the damn stuff with your coffee and they'd cancel each other out." She gave a sympathetic smile before a certain flash of metal caught her eye. He always did have a habit of showing up after her physicals...leave it to Alphonse to know just what she needed. 

"You should be proud of me, Al...you said I needed to cut back, right? How's this for ya?"

“Brother!" Al’s squeaky voice tried to sound authoritative. "One flask isn't going to make a difference and you know it! You can’t just drink whenever things get tough. Do you even know what it’s doing to you?" He glanced at Roy for a moment too long. "Alright, maybe you do know the consequences. Is Roy your role model now?”

Both Eva and Roy recoiled at the thought. "I--" He gulped. "I should cut back on mine as well, I suppose." He muttered to himself, taking the flask from her hand. It was better for him to have it than her anyway. Al continued to stare at him, but Roy tried his hardest to ignore it.

"You idiot! Everything that happened on that mission was my idea, okay?" Quicker than lightning things had turned into a petty squabble between siblings. "Mustang had nothing to do with it - I told you that last night!"

Mustang winced at the comment. There was no denying that Eva tended to increase her alcohol intake when he increased his. Was it sad that the thought of Eva ending up like him was utterly terrifying?

"Besides, it's a symbol. It means I'm going to be stopping.” Lies, all lies. Her faux serious expression was enough to broadcast that, “Didn't think something like that would be so hard to get through that metal skull of yours, Al."

Al sighed. Arguing with her would just waste what little time they had. "I’m just worried for you, brother." He crossed his arms. "Are you coming back to bed then? You need to get some rest."

As their voices began to reach prying ears, Roy switched to male pronouns without missing a beat. "Edward said he'd help me with some of the paperwork."

His glowing eyes squinted, "You're going to go sleep in his office, aren't you?"

Roy had to give it up to the younger Elric, "As long as he doesn't snore, yes."

"Apparently, I kept this bastard up all night both nights." She growled, quickly rethinking her plan. With Al here, sleeping in a nice warm bed sounded pretty great. "Wouldn't want to keep him from his work too, would I, Al? Can't exactly help something like that." 

As a being who couldn’t sleep, Al was very familiar with his sister’s snores. 

She yawned, stretched, and tossed her superior some money for the coffee. "I wanna sleep in my own bed. I can almost hear it calling me from here." Eva placed a hand on her hip and smiled as the cafeteria began to fill with soldiers eager for breakfast. As early as it was, her stomach churned at the idea of food. "By the way, you can keep the flask, consider it me paying back my debt."

Although the day was just starting, Roy found himself too tired to protest. "Fine, fine. We’re even."

"You really should eat something, Brother." Al protested. Suggestion or not, she’d likely do what she wanted. "Maybe take something back? You don't have to eat here. You could go home and get some sleep." 

Eva shook her head, less than eager for food after a morning like that. Through newly found crowds, and over boisterous voices, the alchemist froze once again. She’d waited too long. The sight of Davis sent chills up her spine. Detestable creature...even with what Roy had done for her it paid to be cautious, and just seeing his face made Eva’s skin crawl. The mere sight of Charles Davis brought her eyes back to Roy's. Somehow, she felt she'd never be able to make things equivalent now; but if he felt that debt was paid, she'd have to take it. Maybe he just wanted to get rid of her...did it honestly matter?

"Alright, I'll eat..." The girl let out a resigned breath and started off towards the door. "But we're ditchin' this place. Why don't you whip me up some pancakes and bacon? Been awhile since you've made me breakfast, Al?" While it wasn’t much, Al did his best to console Eva with food after a session with Charles.

 

Once finally out of earshot and out of sight, the Colonel let his shoulders relax at last. Roy ordered his coffee, not long after. Promptly, he did as she'd sarcastically suggested, pouring the remaining contents of the flask into his cup. At this point, he didn't even care who saw. Roy’s eyes fell to a paper sitting at the table, clearly left for anyone to see. Bradwer’s name in bold black letters...No wonder he avoided the news like the plague.

It had been years since anyone had joined him at that table. Even with Hughes gone it felt almost fitting.  
"A little early for that, don't you think?" She asked, as the Elrics left their line of sight. Riza Hawkeye's cup of coffee was as steamy as her voice, her gaze piercing and alert. "Guess that explains why you didn't make it up to the office yet..." Seeing Ed was always stressful for him, but this much vodka? This early?

"I'm a soldier, Hawkeye. Don't you think I'm entitled to indulge a little early now and again?" He didn't look at her, keeping his eyes fixed on the paper. Roy traced the same paragraph over and over, stuck in a loop as the words began to blur. Taking a sip of his drink, Roy savored the warm burn and matched eyes with Riza. "Is there something you needed, or can I finish this in peace?" 

Her stoic expression prodded further explanation from him. "I might as well enjoy something before I have to get back to that mountain of paperwork." It didn’t take long for him to break from her gaze, instead finding himself fixated on the coffee mug’s handle. 

"Well, I was kinda hoping you'd wait until tonight." She offered, sipping at her coffee with a stoic expression and just a hint of a smile. "It's a while since you've been out drinking with a friend, hasn't it?"

That wasn't true. It wasn't even close. But what Riza didn't know wouldn't hurt her. 

It wasn't easy being the stone that held their team together, and the Lieutenant wasn't a fool. Without her presence, there was no way any of them would get anything done. Still, even the strongest of rocks need time to rest, and Riza needed a vice just as he did. "Why don't we take off early tonight after working through the case? I know a pretty good bar not too far from here. Mixed drinks sure beat coffee and whatever that is."

The colonel glanced at her, curious, then stared back into the cup. "That does sound better than this sludge." He admitted, swirling it around. "Hot coffee and cold alcohol don't exactly mix anyway." He wasn't sure what it was either. He looked back up at her, as strong of a smile as he could muster on his face. "You know I can't pass up a good night of drinking, especially if it includes good company." He pushed away the cup immediately regretting the action. "I guess that means I should get back to work then."

Riza silently slid her cup over to him. It was just how he liked it. She then picked up the stray flask and slid it into her pocket. If he asked for it back, she'd be quick to yield, but for this work day, Roy was going to have to cut back. With a strained smile, she rose to her feet and followed, habitually finding herself at his back. Anything about that mission, he'd keep quiet about, but Riza knew him too well to let a morning like this slide. She'd gather what she could from his reports, and let the issue go. It was better not to dwell on things, and when it came to Edward, it was easy to tell when things had gotten beneath the Colonel's skin. 

"Perhaps you could cut back on Fullmetal's missions." She suggested, withstanding an uneasy glance from her superior. "You said yourself you're not excited about having him around the office. A lead on the stone, fake or not would get him out of your hair. After that, the best you can do would be just cutting them off for a while, as long as the pay remains steady."

"Perhaps. Of course, then I'll have to deal with his complaints" He grunted. "Not sure if I want that either, Lieutenant." He sipped the coffee, smiling despite the stress. How did she even know how he liked his coffee? No matter. He'd need it, with all the work he'd be doing. 

"Still, it's something to think about. Edward Elric’s a bit easy to overdose yourself on." Riza sighed, knowing full well that the boy could be quite the irritation...at least in the sense that his presence usually made her job much harder. Riza dreaded their return since the moment the two of them left, but at the very least, they hadn't managed to kill each other.  
It didn't take long for them to reach his office, and with the sun now high in the sky, the rest of his team had found themselves crowded around a small snoring figure. 

As Riza drew closer, she let out a resigned sigh at the sight of a single word sprawled across Ed's forehead. Short and sweet, with no one willing to fess up, the letters 'S-H-R-I-M-P' spelled out in black ink. No one wanted to be around when Ed found a mirror, that was for sure. She couldn't help but laugh at the situation, subtle as the chuckle was.  
Then, through the chorus of snickers came a voice from behind, and words of...gratitude? A 'thank you' echoed through a sheet of metal.

"F-for taking care of Doctor Davis, I mean...Ed told me what you did for us..." Al rubbed the back of his helmet, as if he had an itch to scratch, then looked to the sleeping figure fondly. "I guess that explains what he meant by 'paying you back'."

Roy went to sit on the only corner of his desk not covered in paperwork. "Don't worry about it, Alphonse. I told you, I promised I'd help you both in any way I could." He shrugged, sipping his coffee. "If that means taking Dr. Charles Davis down a peg in the process, then I'm all for it." He glanced at Eva, and tried his best to suppress a snort. “...You guys… that’s not funny.” The curled edges of his lips argued otherwise. “He… he really doesn’t like that.” The colonel took a few deep giggly breaths, sipping his coffee again. "He's a lot quieter asleep, though not by much." He decided with a chuckle. 

The relative silence in the room invited him to keep filling it. "He's like a bear, I swear. Though it's kind of adorable, you have to admit." Sipping his coffee again, he looked over at Al "I thought you said that the two of you were heading home for breakfast?"

With the area cleared, Al took his sister into his arms. Her new metal perch couldn't have been comfortable, but in a swift movement the entire office learned there was very little that she wouldn't sleep through after a morning like that.

"Yeah, that just hasn't happened yet...as soon as he told me about what happened, I kind of insisted I get a chance to thank you myself. It's good to have someone at our back again." Eva sagged in his arms, mumbling something about toast and butter before letting out a loud, contented snore. "We needed someone like you on our side again."

"That's what I'm here for." He wanted to speak with to Al genuinely. "Alright, everyone out. I want to talk to the Elrics. Well, just Alphonse. There's no need to wake your brother, not that you could." 

There was much grumbling as everyone filed out, and he saw the look Riza gave him as she left. There was no backing out now. He would tell Eva as soon as he could, but Alphonse needed to know first. Maybe then it would be easier for her to take it. As soon as the door shut behind them, he stood, walked to it, and banged on it once, loudly. There was a loud, "Ow!" And several harsh whispers.

"I said I wanted to talk to them alone, gentlemen. Ears away from the door. You have just as much work as I do."  
That wasn’t even close to the truth.

Roy sighed and walked back to where Al stood, Eva cradled in his metal arms. "I'm cutting back the number of cases the two of you get." He took a sip of his coffee again. "I'm assuming you know what happened this weekend, or at least as much as you could pry from her." The man’s simple expression betrayed the situation in itself. "There's not much more to tell. Either way, I've decided that it's best that if it's not directly related to your overall goal that I won't call you in. It's what she's been complaining about anyway. Just as long as she doesn't get into any huge trouble, there's no need to worry.” 

His tone gained a new sort of warmth. “I'll still be here if you guys need me. Call me if you need anything, or if she needs anything and won't ask herself. I know how stubborn she can be." Both Al and Roy shared a laugh, acknowledging the snoring body in the room.

"You're not cutting back for her safety, are you?" He started for the door, turning back just before twisting the knob. The answer to his question displayed plainly on the Colonel's face. All at once, Al needed answers, and it wasn't gonna come from her any time soon.

"My sister… did you sleep with her, Colonel?" The silence that followed was enough to make a man go mad, and once again Roy's face shown like a poor novice at poker. Al hoped beyond reason that his men weren't listening in. "Look...she said nothing happened...and if you tell me the same, I'm not gonna take this further. I...I just need to know it wasn't like Doctor Davis. She promised me you didn't make any deals..." Al’s arms relaxed for a moment under her weight, and the girl nearly stirred, mumbling something in her sleep about someone they couldn’t identify.

He sighed, stared into his nearly empty cup, and drank the final drops. "I'm not going to lie to you. No doubt that something happened between us." He stared down at his hands. "It was an accident, and it shouldn't have happened. We were drinking; we drank too much." He could feel Al’s critical stare bring everything back at once. "We need some time off from each other." Leaning forward, he maintained eye contact with the suit of armor. "But I'll still be here if you need me. I can't stress that enough. I’m just a call away."

She wasn't gonna be happy with that. Even after one night back home Al could tell whatever silence they'd agreed to went against what she'd wanted, and Alphonse had a sinking feeling it hadn't been her idea. Still, he could have been wrong - and a single look brought out the guilt in Roy’s eyes. "Thank you, sir..." He motioned, pulling the door open and letting out a sigh of relief. For once Roy’s men had listened. "I'll be in touch..."

"Oh, and sir..." He started, turning back and checking to make sure the coast was clear. "I-I'm sorry for my sister's behavior. Sometimes...it gets lonely. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again..."

…Lonely. That’s what they’d both been feeling that night. And both of them would continue to be lonely. The selfish part of him wanted Eva to remain in his office, sleeping and snoring, perhaps complaining about her back when she eventually woke.

"Alright, Alphonse." His smile faltered, the thought of what would come next wearing deeper into the grooves of his mind. "I'm sorry this couldn't have worked out better." Al gave a half-wave as he left. 

And now the room was empty. Roy stood in the center, all thoughts of hopelessness and eventual failure swirling about his person. Would he be able to keep Eva from danger? His breath began to elevate, and his eyesight began to blur in exasperation. Shit. He had to calm down. This was no way to act. Taking a few cautious steps to his chair, he felt that he could make it. For about two seconds, at least.

He slipped onto the floor, head in his hands, and wept. Riza would likely walk in any moment and find him like this, but he wouldn't move, couldn't move from that spot. Finally, after what felt like days, he stood on shaky legs and sat at his desk, head in his hands. It was going to be a long day. He missed that flask already. It didn’t take long for him to realize that wasn’t all he was going to miss.


	11. Chapter Ten

Riza shook her head as Al left the room, carrying Edward. They acknowledged each other as respective caretakers and went in opposite directions. She'd be lucky if she only had to carry Roy out of the room as well.

Once inside, she frowned at the sight of Mustang's head down on his desk. The papers beneath his face were wet. There was no way she was gonna leave him alone now. She marched up to his desk, saluted and feigned seriousness. "Sir, it's urgent that we get you to the bar."

What? A bar? It was barely 9. Roy took a breath, and scribbled his name across one of his forms. "Immediately?" He scoffed, shook his head, and continued on his paperwork. "Well this is a first... guess I'm used to you keeping me in line."

Roy reached for his coffee. There wasn't any left.

"Sorry, Lieutenant, one of us's gotta be on top of things. But, if you need the day, I'll look the other way. Guess it's been a long week for most of us." In truth, he was almost relieved to let her go early. It would make things easier.

"Oh, no colonel... I don't think you understand. I'm not leaving without you." She placed both hands on his desk. "I really need to talk some things over, one on one."

Unwavering in his words, Roy continued as if she'd kept distanced. "Is the venue important? It seems we have the office to ourselves. Speak as you will, I can't put this work off any longer."

That had to be enough for her, right?

The Lieutenant grimaced. Stubborn man... if it wasn't his idea, he'd have no part of it. "Mustang, I've been working with you for... how long, was it? Nearly eight years?" She crossed to the other side of the desk, and looked down at the pile of papers before him. While his handwriting was usually chicken scratch, she could tell he'd been starting to aimlessly scribble. 

"The thing is, I can tell when you're obsessing over something. For your own peace of mind, could you just come with me?"

Putting a hand to his temple, Roy let out a sigh of defeat. She wasn't going to let up. Clearly. "I suppose a change of scenery couldn't hurt..." and they weren't supposed to be back this early anyway. Would they really care if he ducked out for an hour?

The lieutenant took a moment to soak in the familiar, drab surroundings of the military office. “You think?”

For as much effort as she usually put into keeping him on track, it was almost amusing seeing her throw the same into taking time off. "I'm taking these with me. " He conceded, taking the papers in hand. "As long as I can get this done at the bar, it shouldn't be a problem."

So now he wanted to focus on his paperwork. Riza rolled her eyes, he seemed pleased to go against whatever she put forth. Compromises. Always compromises. She would have to accept it if she was ever going to get him out of the office. She quickly agreed, and practically dragged her superior out of the building, grabbing his coat on the way. "Here, sir, it's rainy. Don't try to pick a fight with anyone today."

“Considering Elric left, I that shouldn’t be an issue.” Roy grimaced, but draped the coat over his shoulders. With his papers secured, and everything in order, he followed the Lieutenant to the car. When had it started raining? He could have sworn that it had been sunny less than an hour ago... The two found their car with ease, and it didn't take long to get on the road.

Had they walked home in...?

Before Roy could finish his thought before they pulled up to the bar. "Plan B?" Roy chuckled. What was this place? Sure hadn't taken long to get there.  
"Just a reliable little watering hole." Hawkeye smiled as she parked the car in a spot a bit down the road from the bar. The short walk would be enough to breathe a bit before they headed in. "It's been a place I've wanted to show you for a while... it may not be much, but that's how I like it. Quiet and cozy."

She guided him into the cozy bar and sidled up to the front greeting the small crone of a bartender with familiarity. "It's morning, so that limits our options. Two beers?"

The woman looked to the two of them, seeming to make a connection. "Wait... is this the colonel I keep 'earin about? Why'dja bring 'im...?" She was cut off by Riza, who reiterated her order with increased firmness.

“Ruby, we don’t have all morning. Two beers.”

“What’s it look like I’m doing, love?” She scoffed as she procured two tall glasses in an exaggerated manner.

Still, the colonel kept quiet, pulling out his papers and scribbling down a few bits of information. After what seemed to be a sizable amount of time, he felt it necessary to explain himself. "I'm here as a courtesy to the Lieutenant. We should be out of your hair in about a half hour."

If only he were that lucky...

She began to fill up a the glasses with a dark, bitter draught beer. "Oh, don'tcha worry about that. Take as long as yeh like. Just not used ta this one bringin' guests." She placed the two mugs on the table and retreated to the back of the bar, happy to keep interaction to a minimum.

Riza grabbed her glass and stared deeply into Mustang's eyes, her face a stone wall of neutrality. "So, Colonel, what is it that's really bothering you?"

If looks could kill...

Roy nearly choked on his beer at the question, but managed to keep himself from giving away too much. She seemed to stare through him, as if acutely aware of every mistake he'd ever made. With the glass set down, and the bartender just out of earshot, Roy caved to her gaze. It wouldn't be the whole truth, but it would be enough.

"Did you have to take me to a bar?" The man couldn't help but laugh at the situation. "I'll keep this brief." The details were hardly important if you removed her from the situation. "I had a one night stand with another officer. We both got drunk, things got a little heated, and we ended up making mistakes. Hell, I don't even know if she remembers..."

It helped to focus on the glass in front of him, the amber liquid a rough reminder on it's own.

Her face was unmoving. "Is that all you had to tell me?" She took a sip of her beer, before smiling a little bit. She placed a hand on his shoulder, although she really couldn't understand why he was so distraught. "Sounds like any other night in the illustrious life of Roy Mustang. How many officers have you slept with?" She meticulously counted on her fingers, exaggerating the mental effort it took her to come up with the situations. "There was that one girl in accounting... the one Brigadier General you slept with to get that promotion... we can't forget that dude you slept with for awhile… you called him ‘your awakening,’ right?" The corner of her mouth creased upwards.

"His name was Nathan Magdal, and-" why was he so focused on this? Roy's hand instinctively clenched around a napkin before looking back to his subordinate. This wasn't helping. "Lieutenant, is there a reason we're here, or do you just intend to tease me about my past relationships?"

Roy took a heavy sip, shaking his head. It wasn't like that was all he had on his mind.

"Hey, I'm not here to judge." She raised her hands defensively, before grabbing at her beer once again. "I just wanted to know what was getting on your nerves so much, that's all. Contrary to what you think, I don't want you to feel like shit all the time." She meditatively took a breath, rolling the Colonel's situation around in her mind. What made this instance different from all the other times?

"Damn. If it's making you this nervous, did you fall for them, or something? Roy Mustang actually in love would be something I'd pay to see." She gave him a quick pound on the shoulder, hoping to keep the mood playful in the fit of denial he'd probably have.

The colonel tried to laugh it off, but was left with a sullen expression and an empty glass. Was she going to ask anything more if he lied? Either way he'd likely end up with a headache and unfinished paperwork.

"Ya know, I'd pay to see that too..." it was an easy response, and perhaps not what she was looking for, but in truth, he didn't mind. With the issue skirted, Roy took to scribbling again, this time on a few of the expense reports. Dammit...how much had the room been? It seemed the details were beginning to fade. 

Riza nearly spit out her drink. "Wait... you’re really are in love, aren't you?" She looked him over, sly smile building on her face as she tried to imagine the kind of person who could bag the Colonel. No doubt they were superhuman. "You know, it's alright to have a relationship with someone that goes a little bit longer than a few one night stands. Why don't you go for it?"

"Like I said, I don't think she remembers.” He paused for a moment, trying to come up with a good explanation. “And besides, it'll be a while before I get to see her again. I'd rather not waste time chasing something frivolous. I was lonely, and desperate... and that’s where it ends. I've got more important things in sight, you know that." Roy directed his attention to the Lieutenant. What'd he have to do to get another drink around here?

“More important than love?” She joked, taking another sip. 

"I'm not in love with anyone. Hell, I'm closer to asking you out than-" his voice trailed off. Even mentioning her name was a danger..."Was that your intent with this?" Roy then turned the conversation to her. "Can't think of any other reason you'd want me here today."

Riza slammed her drink down, cackling at the thought. "I'm sorry, Roy, but you give yourself too much credit. If you're looking to be my companion, you'll have to outdo Black Hayate!" She gave another peal of laughter before slapping her officer on the back. Calling him Roy was a fresh feeling, but she felt as though he was being more 'Roy' than either his rank or surname could describe.

Roy laughed and spoke with all the finesse he could muster. "I don't think you give me enough credit, Lieutenant. But, if that's how it's gonna be, then I guess I've got some competition." He joked, leaning back in the bar stool and nearly toppling over in the process. Finally, after a full drink and with his paperwork nearly finished, Roy draped his coat over the back of his chair. May as well settle in. It didn't seem like the rain would be lightening up any time soon.

She applauded the sight of him loosening up a little, a stoic expression never leaving her face. "Now that's what I like to see. Just a rainy day, a few drinks, and an empty bar. Can you see why I brought you here?" She shifted on her stool, turning her attention to the sound of the rain, mixing with the subtle creaking of the ancient bar. There was a harmony that the two had which seemed to meld together, pushing people to operate to its slow tempo. She would have loved to fall into the rhythm of a place like this, as she'd done on so many nights of solitude. Still, with Roy next to her, she couldn't get a certain thought out of her mind.

"Hey, Mustang. How would you flirt with me?"

The Colonel sputtered over her question before coming up with a response. As the bartender made her way back towards the two soldiers, Roy beckoned her over. "I suppose I'd start by buying you a drink." That didn't take much thought.

"I suppose I'd call that an order." This one was as smug as she'd described. Ruby smirked to the Colonel, pulling out a pair of mugs this time. She served the two beers, clear of foam. Each one was crisp and bubbly, and she dusted off her hands in a conceited manner.

Roy raised his glass to a toast, "this was a good idea, though I'd have to admit it's not nearly your first. You really have everything together...I don't know how you do it.”

She grinned, raising her eyebrows a bit at his remark. "Hmm... I think I like this Roy... complementing my competence and all. I should have you flirt with me all the time." With her drink in hand, she looked around the bar, as if she were afraid someone was going to see what she was about to do next.

"So what is it you do, Mr. Mustang? You some sort of military clerk?"

"Well, not to brag," he boasted, folding his legs and taking another deep drink, "but I made Colonel at 27, and I'm working my way up. I intend to lead this country one day, and I've got no intention of stopping now. I've got a pretty attractive Lieutenant at my side too, so that's a bonus." He'd forgotten how easy this was...  
With his charm to spare, and his paperwork done, Roy's attention fell to her. "I can't say I make a lot now, but I make up for it in other ways. Care to find out? I can show you first hand."

Her eyes shot open as she nearly choked on her drink. "Make up for it in other ways? Is that really how you seduce everyone? Mentioning your dick?" She gave another bout of laughter at his expense. "You must really get by on your looks, because that was terrible. How about I show you how it's done?"

"That's not what I meant!” He crossed his arms, blushing. “I'll have you know that I've gotten a hell of a lot of women with that line." If only..."I-" the man started to protest, but his words became jumbled, and eventually Roy shifted to calling her bluff. "Sure...show me what you've got, Lieutenant."

Whatever she had planned couldn't be that bad.

"Oh, Mustang..." She held up a finger as she drank the last of her beer. "You wouldn't notice any change. I mean, look at me." Her face went back to that comfortable, neutral expression that she so often found herself in. "Can't you see that I'm a non-stop flirtation machine? My whole being radiates approachability." She leaned towards him, hands placed dollishly beneath her chin.

Before long Roy's laughter overpowered the thunder on it's own. Whatever her goal had been for this trip, she'd clearly succeeded. Riza's expression remained unchanged, though it was clear even in her silence that she'd been proven right. "You come here every day?" It was hard enough to believe when they'd arrived, but with everything that had happened, it was almost plausible. "Think you'd mind having some company once in awhile?”

"Eh... the solitude's nice from time to time. Still, you're right. I need company here every once in a while." She turned back to the window, appreciating the rain, but this time with Roy's presence in the background. Perhaps he wasn't so useless in the rain... he at least accented it alright. "Why do you think I wanted you to come here so badly? Sure, I was gonna cheer you up, but I have my selfish reasons. After working with you for so long... you just feel like a guy I can do stuff with, you know?"

"Well, considering you and the guys are the only family I've got, it'd be a little disappointing if you felt otherwise." Roy managed a smile, and admitted something he'd been hesitant to own up to, "I guess I've been pretty lonely recently. I think I could get used to this. Sure as hell could use a new drinking buddy." She seemed to always know just what he needed, and how she did that, Roy had no clue; but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't helpful.

"Believe me, if you like this place in the morning, you'll love it in the evening. Just you, the walls, and all the booze you could ever hope to drink." She considered ordering another glass of beer, but stopped herself. It was only ten in the morning. "And... thanks, Roy. I consider you family too."

"Well then, Lieutenant," Roy started, straightening under the pressure. "I don't suppose you'd mind meeting me here tonight for another pint or so?" He gathered his paperwork. If their absence hadn't been noticed back at the office by now, it would be soon. "As much as I've liked this, I doubt you'll object to returning by now."

Riza's face lit up a bit, somewhat surprised that he'd want to come back so soon. "Of course, sir! We can definitely do that. How about we meet here at nine?" This was all going perfectly, and even Riza couldn't fully contain the glee of finally having someone to share her favorite watering hole with.

Nine sounded about right. Roy smiled, draped his coat over his shoulders, and headed for the door. He let three words slip from his lips. "It's a date." A bit of an exaggeration, but perhaps a date was exactly what he needed.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Four months. Why hadn't she noticed? Al certainly had. It doesn't take a genius to put the pieces together. Several pounds heavier, cravings, morning sickness... The only mystery was how she hadn’t noticed. Wrapped up in her own world, Eva groaned about the lack of military assignments. They’d been lucky Mustang had taken those off the table. A failed transmutation meant one of two things for them: a chance at being discovered, or a chance at getting killed.

"DAMMIT!" Eva slammed the phone down on the receiver, swearing in the process. She turned back to her brother, as if looking for a target. Five calls and no answer. He was avoiding her. That bastard. "Why the hell did he tell you about the damn missions? I'm the one his stupid control complex applies to. I knew that bastard was gonna change things on me when he found out I didn’t have a dick." It was just a matter of time before the other shoe dropped. "Protection my ass. That narcissistic jackass didn't feel the need to 'protect us' back before he found out. He doesn't think I can handle it. The ego on that jerk..." As much as she hated the idea of going off on the military's whim, the reality of what life would be like without any action hit her like a boulder.

There was no question who the father was, and as much as it pained him not to tell her, Al couldn’t risk Eva panicking into doing something reckless. "He only told me because he knew you would act like this." Alphonse stood between his sister and the door. It was getting harder to keep her from leaving… "Lay down, sister. He'll call. The colonel wouldn’t stop calling back, especially not for you."

"I'm not gonna just lay down..." She grumbled, immediately lying down. What had sitting still gotten her? A bigger gut and nothing but resentment. As much as she'd protested those stupid mandatory missions, Eva was really starting to miss them. The blonde sat stewing on the very prevalent fact that once again, they'd left her behind… "He's not gonna call. It's been too long. Probably off screwing some officer or something..."

“You can’t just say things like that. He really cares about us. Just give it a minute, okay? You know how busy things can get there..." Eva hoped he was right, because she was beginning to grow impatient.

She seemed to be singularly preoccupied with the promise of a response from the Colonel, hanging by the phone as if it were some sort of lifeline. No Call. No answer. Al was wrong this time, he had to be.

Surely enough, however, the phone rang, just as the girl was beginning to doze off. Shaking herself from the stupor of inactivity, Eva crawled over and grabbed the phone, mumbling “Hello” through a heavy yawn.

"Ed, I have something important to tell you!" The voice was Riza’s, although she hardly recognized it. Hawkeye was being uncharacteristically bubbly. "I’m getting married. You and Alphonse are invited to our engagement party!"

“Engaged?” Eva held back another yawn, trying to put things together. “Who’d you hook  
up with? Havoc finally get the nerve to ask you?” She couldn’t help but grin at the thought. With as long as they’d been gone, it wasn’t out of the question. Perhaps he’d finally gotten the courage to make his move. With all the excitement, Roy had almost faded from her thoughts entirely. 

“Well… I’d been going out with Roy for some time now, and I finally decided to ask him to be my husband. I don’t know why it took us so long to figure this out… we’ve really bonded over these past few months.” Her voice fluttered, light and happy. “Please tell me you can come. It would mean so much to see you there.”

Alphonse wasted no time in joining her, anxiously whispering, and begging for details. This couldn’t be good. Eva’s expression was all he’d needed to figure that out, but if it wasn’t Roy then…?

It...took a while for her words to settle on the girl's shoulders, and even longer for her to find a suitable excuse. Eva's voice faltered on the delivery... "I-I'm sorry, Lieutenant..." She stammered, looking over to her brother just for a moment, before snapping back to stare at the wall. "I'm afraid I've been a little under the weather recently...tell the Colonel he caught a good one, though...people like you are hard to come by." Her frustrated smile twitched.

The slurred words that followed from her superior weren't exactly what she was hoping for. I guess this is what she got for trying to reach him this late…Eva put on her best smile and laughed. "Hey, you bastard. Congratulations! No wonder I could get in contact...you've got a lot to celebrate..."

Drunkenly, he laughed in agreement. "You'll come of course? Of course you'll come! It’s been too long." He pulled himself away from the crowd, so he could talk to her without anyone overhearing. "Please, Eva, come." Just hearing her voice was enough to elicit a smile. "For me? Please, for me, okay?" 

This was bad...Al could just see the faintest of tears trailing down the girl's cheeks as she replied.

That idiot...he hadn't even told her the date...not that it mattered. "Sorry, I don't think I will...just found out my superior officer's been avoiding my calls. I've got an ass to kick on that day. Congratulate the Lieutenant though, for me. You two are gonna be great together."

"It's tomorrow...and we're leaving soon...and I..." He almost whispered it, as if it were a sacred mantra. "I miss you." Why didn’t she say anything back? She was always so eager to hear from him, right? Roy’s fingers began to twirl the phone’s chord. They were still connected, weren’t they?

"Please..." He was merely filling the void with pleading at this point. Silence was not something he was going to tolerate. Besides, it was late enough, and he needed to hear her voice at least once more.

Eva's hand formed a tight grip around one of the books on her table, keeping her breathing as steady as she could between tears. Why the hell was she crying? Dammit. "I-I'm sick..." She managed to get out...it was a poor excuse, but it was all she had. "I've been throwing up a lot, actually. Guess it was something I ate. I don't know...if it gets better, I'll take you up on the offer. I'll be honest; I had trouble getting outta bed this morning." She laughed, keeping that grin up, "It's at the office, right? What time?"

"It’s during work hours, so I won’t take any excuses." She’d be there. How could she not come? “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, okay? I'm sorry you're not feeling well. Hopefully it's just a bug." Roy pulled away from his conversation for just a moment. "What honey?" 

As if the news wasn’t already hard enough for her to hear…

“Sorry, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” On baited breath and waiting for her response again… it took saying her name to bring her around. “You’ll be there, right, Eva?”

"Maybe..." It was all she could give. She had been dying to get out of the house, but… "Have a good night, sir." She spoke, finishing the call and turning back to her brother, the muffled musings of a drunken crowd all she needed to hear before placing the phone on the receiver and pulling back against the wall.

"Looks like we've got an engagement party to go to tomorrow morning..." She smiled bitterly and made her way to the couch. "I guess I'll have to bring up the missions there, huh?"

"Why do you want to bring up the missions, sister? I don’t think jumping back into the field is going to help... You seem like you’re having a really hard time. Is something bothering you?" Al sat down beside her. "Please, you can tell me anything. I just want to help, if I can..." His voice drifted off, as he nervously fixed his eyes on the floor.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Eva mumbled, grabbing a nearby plate with an unfinished sandwich and resting it on her newfound stomach. She couldn't help but glare down at herself. That bastard. If she did go tomorrow, there was no doubt she was going to kick his sorry ass. "Man...maybe I should go. It's been awhile since I had anything to drink. It's an engagement party, right? Don't those things have champagne?"

“NO! No alcohol!” Al put his hands up in opposition at the thought of her drinking while pregnant. It was too late that he realized his reaction seemed excessive. “I mean… you don’t want to do something reckless! Who knows what could happen with you drunk in a room full of officers!" Hopefully that would make sense to her… even she would have to see the risk in that. “If you go you don't drink. Can you promise me that, sister?"

"Fine, I guess that settles it, I'm not going." She mumbled, nearly spitting out the stale bread. How long had that thing been out? Eva resolved to finding something new, putting both feet forward towards the kitchen. "They’re probably better off without us anyway," she scoffed, rising to her toes in an attempt to reach something on the top shelf. No luck there… Finally in irritation, she gave up on snacking, and stormed out of the kitchen. "I'm going to bed..."

Alphonse wasted no time and rounded the corner after her, but the boy didn’t protest. Instead, he sat down by her bed, and gave words of comfort. "I know you don’t want to see him...but, I think you need to go, okay? Missions or not, this is important. We don’t have to stay long, just an hour or two. Do you think you can handle that?" No response...Eva merely turned over in bed, ignoring his words. “Sister…he said he misses you. What happens if he shows up drunk?”

"Why the hell would he come here? He's got a perfectly good fiancé for whatever the hell drunken urges might propel him to our door. Let her deal with that crap. Besides, it's not like he's gonna actually care if we show up or not..." She flopped down in bed, glaring up at the ceiling. "Besides, if he misses me, it’s his own damn fault. He wanted us out, anyway." 

"Mustang wouldn’t do that to you! And besides, you never liked the small missions!” Honestly, Al had faith that Mustang was giving it his all to keep her safe.

“We haven’t been called to the office in weeks, Al! Don’t tell me he didn’t want me gone. I’m not buying it. Besides, if he wanted to see me, it doesn’t take more than a call.” She grabbed for a pillow to throw, but took in a breath and pulled it close. “If I go in tomorrow, I’m asking to be transferred…” 

There was no way that Al was going to convince her otherwise. “Sister, if you don't want to go, then I trust your judgment. I just think it’s a really great stroke of luck that a commanding officer knows your secret and is taking your side.” He took an unneeded breath. “Still, I want to go to the engagement party. I don’t mind if you stay home, but I want to show my support for Riza.”

Eva flinched hearing her name, but the apathy in her voice was unmistakable. “Bring me back a slice of cake, will ya?” She hit the lights, and shifted slightly, pulling on as many blankets as possible. Hopefully, she’d be able to sleep through his arrival.


	13. Chapter Twelve

Last night had been a blur for Roy Mustang. Riza’s sleeping figure beside him materialized from the fog of grogginess, and the glittering ring on his finger gave some indication as to what happened. Slipping out of her bed, he clumsily plodded into Riza’s kitchen, scrabbling to find some coffee to dampen the dull-but-heavy headache he’d acquired. He was struggling to find a grinder for the beans when Riza walked in behind him, somehow impeccably dressed in a pair of dark blue pajamas. She smiled at his futile attempts to find the tools for coffee.

“Bottom drawer, on your left.” Roy hesitantly placed his hand over a cabinet. “Nah, your other left.” He then reached out with the other hand, and she gave a short nod. Finally, Roy set the large metal grinder on the table, poured the beans in, and got to turning the crank on the side. He had a few questions.

“I take it I was a little bit drunk last night?” He chose his words as if they were on a tightrope. No idea what things drunken things he might have done.

She responded with a stifled laugh. “More than a little, but I was right there with you. We were both a bit more plastered than I would have liked when I proposed to you…” She looked aside for a moment, the corners of her lips turning upwards before hitting him with her rich, brown eyes. Although minute, she could tell he’d flinched a bit at her words.

“Now… I know you were pretty drunk when I asked you, and I would never want you to make a life-changing decision while intoxicated.” She strode up next to him, putting her ringed hand next to his. “Do you really want to go through with this?”

Roy’s breath caught on her question, his system flooding with relief and regret all at once. Like the night before, he couldn’t keep the answer from leaving his lips. A simple, ‘yes’ was all she’d needed, but he’d gone overboard. “Lieutenant, sharing my life with you would be an honor.” God, his head was killing him. How long did it take to get coffee from this thing?

She wrapped her arms around him from behind and murmured a content “alright.” Her hug lasted for a few moments before she made Roy set down the over ground coffee beans, turned him towards her, and gave him a kiss. “Roy… can I tell you something important?” She was close, her face turned upwards to meet his. He could tell that she was a little pale from last night as well.

“Of course, Riza… you can tell me anything.” What could it be? Was something the matter that he didn’t know about? He kept himself stoic, holding back the torrent of concerns and scenarios in his mind.

“Well…” she looked around, as if afraid someone might hear. Her voice was soft, intimate even. “You really should have started boiling some water first. You’re gonna have to wait with your coffee grounds until I can get some water hot enough--”

As it dawned on him that she wasn’t being serious, Roy squinted in playful exasperation. “I have no idea why I put up with you.” He couldn’t help a grin as he grabbed her, pulled her close, and planted a few kisses across her blushing cheeks. Maybe this could work out, after all. Riza was lovable, and dependable, and… safe. He wanted something like that in his life. Still, it felt like he was kissing-

She slipped out of his embrace, contentedly pulling a seldom-used teapot from the bottom of a cupboard. Then, walked back to him and waited for a few moments. “Could you move? You’re kind of blocking the…”

Roy gave a startled “Oh” as he realized he was leaning on the sink, and shifted himself aside.

She nodded, queuing up to the sink and filling the pot. “You may have forgotten last night, but we also scheduled our engagement party for noon today. I’d understand if it were too sudden…” Honestly, she was having her doubts about the timing. Were things supposed to go this quickly? They’d known each other for years, but…

“Of course! I want the party as soon as possible, really.” Maybe if he just jumped into this, the awful feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t have time to take hold. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t stop thinking about Eva…

“Well, if you say so…” She was having her doubts, but he seemed pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing. She set the pot down, cranked the gas on, struck a match, and lit the tiny stove-top in the center of the kitchen. “I don’t think we’ll have time to send proper invitations, so we’ll have to call people we want to show up. Are there any special guests you’ll want to invite?” She leaned back against an opposite counter, matching Roy’s position and resuming eye contact with him.

He broke it almost immediately, bringing a hand to the lower half of his face in thought. Evangeline Elric. “I can’t really say that I have anyone I’d want to invite out of the ordinary… just our co-workers and a few family connections…” Not that they had many between the two of them. In terms of family, the aisles were gonna be pretty empty on their wedding day…

She could tell what he was thinking, on that front, and they shared a few moments of awkward silence. “I don’t think my grandfather’ll be able to make it today, he’d have to come over from out of town.” Her mouth formed a diagonal line across her face. The water in the teapot made slight sounds of boiling, but no steam yet. She looked across the room to him, a thoughtful look on her face. Vaguely, she remembered Roy calling Ed on the phone. He seemed pretty adamant that he come to the party.

The Colonel tilted his head back, pinching the bridge of his nose, this was such a bad idea. “How the hell are we going to get this whole thing set up in four hours? It’s not like we’ve got anything to feed people.” He had to stop making decisions while intoxicated. This was becoming a problem.

A jet of air escaped her nostrils as she considered how this was going to turn out. “Well, four hours, you said? I can go, buy up all the food and drinks we need to keep the guests happy, and then begin setting up… that shouldn’t take too long, and it should give me enough time to get ready for the damn thing.” The thought back to the contents of her closet… it had been a long time since she’d needed her formal dress. She had half a mind to show up in her uniform, but convinced herself otherwise. “You, on the other hand, should get in your car and invite anyone in the city we want there. Here, I’ll write a few names and addresses for you, and you can decide the rest.” Riza pulled a pen and piece of notepaper from a nearby drawer, meticulously scratching out a few characters. She passed it to Mustang, and then turned her attention to the whistling pot of water.

There was one name.

Why did it have to be hers?

Taking a deep breath, he turned to Riza, who was pouring the hot water and coffee grounds into a glass vessel. “You just want me to go get Edward for you? Is that all?” Why did she even need to be there?

“The rest of our friends either have transportation or they’ll be in the Central Building anyway. I can call them. Ed, on the other hand, needs someone to get him. How long has it been since you’ve last seen him in person?” 

Mustang kept quiet, unsure of what to say. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen him around,” Riza continued, “I miss him, and I think you do too.” She was building a foggy recollection of him asking Ed to come to the party. You have to be pretty drunk to get a name like ‘Ed’ wrong that many times.

The colonel honestly felt a bit of relief that it was Riza who insisted that she be at the party. At least they both liked her…

“Yeah… you know what? I’d love to go get him.” Roy put all of his mental effort into focusing on and sharing Riza’s blissful demeanor. “I can get him right after the coffee and a shower. Is it done yet?” He gestured to the lidded container.

“Huh?” She looked back to the coffee, as if rediscovering it. “Oh, yeah. It should be.” She carefully pressed down the plunger on the top of the device, sending all of the grounds to the bottom of the black liquid.

It tasted alright. 

 

It had been a third of a year, and the wooden door to their apartment still looked so familiar. He knocked for quite some time, slowly getting louder with each subsequent tap. She had to be here… and she was probably still asleep.

Alphonse couldn’t just pretend they weren’t there for long. Roy would probably end up waking her at this rate. The armored boy crept out towards the hallway, doing his best to keep Eva undisturbed. Opening the door, he stood face to face with the Colonel. “Ed’s not coming,” he stated, glancing back towards the bedroom. Before he could enter, Al closed the door behind himself and oriented Roy in the opposite direction. The sounds of morning sickness were something that Al had grown quite used to, but least she wasn’t spending the day in bed again. "Sorry, like she said, she's been really sick and I don't think it's a good idea..."

Roy sighed. "I was really hoping she'd come, or at the very least I could talk to her. It’s been ages, Al.” He looked up to the armored boy as if he held the keys to his sister’s soul. “I need to see her today… Riza and I are leaving for a mission tomorrow.” If anything, he could definitely hear her. The sounds of vomiting were quite present in the conversation, even through the front door. “Al… Is she going to be alright? Maybe I should just go in, and see if she needs anything.”

Alphonse nearly knocked his own helmet off in a panic, blocking the door and trying to keep calm. He hadn’t planned for this… “N-No, she’s fine. She can take care of herself, you know that. We should get going. You said this party’s at noon, right?” The younger Elric went stiff as the door behind him swung open. 

It may have been the sheer amount of time they’d spent apart, but Eva somehow looked as if she were glowing as she walked out of the apartment, even in sickness. Before he could speak, Roy’s heart caught in his throat. The Colonel nearly lost himself, staring into her golden eyes. They hadn’t lost any of their fire. He’d nearly forgotten how much he’d missed her eyes. They weren’t the only thing he’d missed...

"There's gonna be drinks at this thing, right?" Eva asked, stepping out in with ragged, untied hair and a sleeping shirt that felt eerily familiar. The alchemist eyed him, irritated, but smirked, knowing the answer already. "I think I can stand a short visit. But that's not happening without a few conditions." 

She leaned against the door, playing things up. "It's been a long time since I've seen any action. I just don't know how you do it! I mean, you always complained about paperwork... and that desk sure as hell can't be exciting. Wouldn't it be nice if you could spare me this dull, boring, day to day nothingness? Wonder how you could do that..." 

Eva couldn't help but light up, feigning an idea "Hey, I know! Why don't you start sending something my way! It'll give me something to do, and I mean, you want me outta your hair! It's a win win! I'll even go to your stupid engagement party! Sound like something you'd be interested in?"

The colonel sputtered a bit as his eyes scanned over her body. It looked as if she’d done nothing but eat garbage and drink herself silly since he’d seen her, and her body bulged slightly more towards the middle. She looked hungover, to boot. 

“Fullmetal…” He didn’t know how to choose his words without setting her off. If it was anything like her height… “Have you been taking care of yourself? You don’t look good.” Even through her baggy sleep shirt, he could tell her she’d picked up some weight. Looking to her chest, he also had his doubts that she’d be able to properly fit in her binder anymore.

“I look better than you.” She put a hand up to her brother for a high-five, but he left her hanging. “You got a mission for me or not? I’m not going to this thing if I don’t get something in return.”

He doubted she’d be able to do anything dangerous for a while. "If you need work, I can figure something out to keep you busy. I know you've been getting cabin fever. I can't guarantee any excitement, though."

She shook her head, resting her hands on her hips and grinning back at him. "I don't think that's gonna cut it. How long has it been since I've gone on anything interesting?" She thumbed it over on her fingers, setting on a number. "15 weeks! Now, that's a pretty long time to go without work. Hell, if we're going by the last time I had anything ‘exciting’ we'd be going a hell of a lot farther back. I want to investigate. Give me an abandoned lab, or some ass to kick! I'm good at that!" She seemed to light up at the idea, even tying her hair back in a tight braid like she used to. "Until you can promise me that, I've got a meeting today with a breakfast plate and my bed."

He couldn’t help but grin at the sight of her tying her braid while asking for action. It was if the months had never passed. “Tell you what, Fullmetal, if you come to my engagement party, I’ll see to it that you get sent on something new. There’s a facility that was uncovered near Risembool, and we have no idea what it was used for. Came through a week ago.” He paused, as if to make sure she’d hear the next bit. “Could have been a private attempt to make the stone… what do you think of that?”

“The Philosopher's stone?” Eva’s eyes lit brighter than he’d seen in ages. Those words alone almost made her patience worth it. Thoughts flew at her faster than they had in days before Roy’s words hit her hard, and the light in her eyes faded. This was his engagement party. How the hell had she forgotten that? Eva stiffened, as several thoughts flashed through her head. Eva took in a deep breath and negotiated with herself, and the man standing before her. "I'll give it an hour, then I'll take the file, some champagne and whatever you're serving...sound like a fair trade?"

It was all she'd be able to give, and despite staring him down, she was uncertain. Was that enough?

He yearned for her to be at this party, if only to make up for the lack of activity. This was the first time seeing her in months. Even a week more apart felt like it would be too long. "Three hours, take the file, and eat. You don’t have to stay any longer.” It wasn’t much… but he’d like to repair their relationship a bit.

"Three hours..." Eva nodded, reaffirming the number to herself. She could handle it, right? "Alright...I can do that..." But from there on, she dare not meet his gaze. Instead, the Elric girl turned to her brother, and sheepishly asked, "you think you could help me with my clothes?" Roy was staring...For the first time she felt embarrassed she'd not been doing more to keep active, but her brother managed to soothe the feeling.

“Of course, sister. What do you need me to do?” 

“This won’t take long, I’ll meet you in the car.” And before he could respond, the two disappeared. 

Somehow he didn’t believe her.

 

Roy hopped into the car and waited for the siblings to come out. Though her clothes didn't fit, and her hair was a mess, it was a relief just to see her again in one piece. Still, she must have been in denial about her new size. Buttons near the lower part of her waist were pulled taut, and she seemed to have an extra bit of trouble breathing with her binder on. Both Roy and Al looked to her with concern whenever she took a particularly strained breath. The trip was quick, but nauseatingly awkward. As quickly as he’d forgotten how her morning began, things came flooding back. Pale as a ghost, the alchemist looked as if she was going to start puking again. If their rocky start was any indication, today couldn’t end well.

They arrived at the office in decent time. Everyone was already there, waiting for them. Riza kissed him as he came up to greet her. "Ed didn’t give you too much trouble, now did he?" She paused for a moment, looking off in Ed’s direction. “What am I talking about? It wouldn’t be him if he didn’t.”

Eva ignored pleasantries and made a line straight for the snack table. It didn’t take long for her to snatch a glass of champagne on the way, only to have Al confiscate it. The siblings quarreled about said champagne, and Roy felt dread forming in the pit of his stomach. 

Given the situation, the group couldn't help but stare. It had been ages since those two had been in the office. The Elrics kept their distance, Al trying to make sure his brother didn't inhale their entire spread. At this point, Havoc had assumed the two had been let go. 

The party seemed to be well underway for the rest, though. All of their coworkers were in attendance, and despite Hughes's absence, there was a warmth that swept the room. It was perfect.

Well, almost perfect. What really made it perfect was the arrival of General Grumman with a literal cornucopia of snacks and a few silos of alcoholic drinks. He had the same shit-eating grin Roy remembered from their chess matches, and practically broke the Colonel in half with a hug. “So Roy, you finally decided to marry Riza. Took you long enough.”

“Took me asking,” Riza spoke, making her way to her grandfather. “Didn’t think you were gonna make it. Thanks for coming.”

He pursed his lips, the reflections on his glasses blocking out his eyes. “The day I miss your engagement is the day I’m six feet under. Still, I could’ve used a bit more warning. I’m not doing this on your second engagement, you know?” He burst out laughing at his own joke.

“Still, I’m glad you could bag Roy Mustang. The kid’s almost as sharp as me, and that’s really saying something. Hot bod on him too.” He focused his attentions on Mustang, sizing him up. “You know this makes me your grandfather-in-law?”

“I’m aware, sir.” Mustang didn’t have to be perceptive to know that the two were related. Although Riza seldom mentioned it, Grumman sure did. His office was littered with pictures of her. 

“Sir? You disrespect me. You’ll call me by my name or you’ll call me ‘gramps,’ got it?” He squeezed both Riza and Mustang together in another hug.

In the confusion of Grumman’s embrace, Eva made her way over to the couple. She faked a smile, hoping to shorten her stay, and gave them an indifferent ‘congratulations’. She snatched few hors d’oeuvres, and then scurried back to her brother, popping a few hot dogs in her mouth. By the way Alphonse responded, he’d probably put her up to it.

As the party was given time to age, Riza broke from the main crowd, making her way to the Elrics. It was odd to see her in an party dress, especially a white one with a seemingly reflective cleanliness to it. Simplistic and form-fitting, it almost looked like an extension of her military uniform into the genre of formality. The clean lines of the dress drew the eye upwards along her body, making her seem tall and starkly set against the background of the party.

"Hey, Edward, it's been a while. Has Central been sticking you in those boring, out of the way missions?" She leaned in closer, the faint perfume she was wearing seemingly cleaning the air around her. "Don't worry, they get better with time."

"Not quite..." She mumbled, glaring over to Riza’s fiancé, "your 'other half' decided it was a good idea to keep me dangling on missions. I haven't had anything since that damn escapade with that bastard..." Eva took ahold of another champagne glass and took a sip before Al could protest. "Heard the two of you have a mission coming up. That code for an early honeymoon?" She faked a smile, leaning against the table. The guys seemed to be staring…

She scoffed at the suggestion. "Do you think that the military's going to let us plan an early get-away? Not even if he were the Fuhrer." She chuckled. "We have to survey a wall on the southern border. Nothing exciting, but it might give us a chance to enjoy each other's company for a while. I'll also be able to see if I can really keep this one tied down to me." She gestured to Mustang. "I bet him a 1500 cenz and a bullet to the ass he couldn't do it."

"I'd pay to see that," Eva laughed. Al snatched the drink back and handed it off to Havoc. He seemed to be listening in. "Doubt you have any idea what this mission they have for me is." She eyed the file on the table, begging for the three remaining hours of the party to end. It was getting harder to breathe.

Al couldn't help but scold. "Brother, you're here for a reason. The mission can wait. Try to have a good time." It was an impossible request, but he had to make it. She’d done nothing but mope for the past few weeks.

Havoc welcomed the drink, but had to inquire about Ed. "What happened to you? Haven't seen you around the office much lately. Thought the Colonel had you transferred" He showcased a trained aptitude for smoking and drinking at the same time.

"Still in Central…” she grumbled, “Not like he calls us in anyway. I doubt it’d make a difference if he canned our asses. If it weren't for the boredom, I'd welcome a vacation from the bastard. I see you're the same as always." Eva looked to the others, almost grateful to be back, despite the situation. "How many packs you up to a day?" She teased, grabbing another plate of the wings she'd found herself oddly fixated on.

Riza's face, although completely tranquil, managed to convey annoyance. "Havoc, Ed, are you going to be this unpleasant to each other during my reception? If you are, I'd suggest you get out. Otherwise, be civil." She looked at their shocked faces for a few moments, drinking in their discomfort. She then started to laugh. "I had you there, didn't I?"

Havoc chuckled uneasily in response, rubbing the back of his neck. "Don’t scare me like that, Hawkeye." He took another sip of his drink, finishing the glass. "So, now that you and the Colonel are gettin' all hot and heavy with each other, can you weasel your way into getting me some extra days off?"

Eva glared, shooting back. "We're not 'hot and heavy’ with each other, y..." He was talking about Riza, wasn’t he? Dammit.

Riza chuckled at Ed’s slip of the tongue. "I suppose Mustang was right when he said you were self-absorbed. Loosen up, Fullmetal!" She turned her attention to Havoc. "You don't think I'm one to joke? Well, here's a good one." She took on a saccharine tone. "I can definitely get you a few more days off, paid, of course." She then let herself be reabsorbed into the crowd, a crescent smile never leaving her face.

"You've really pudged up there, haven't ya, kid? We outta’ start calling ya jumbo shrimp at this rate.” Breda chuckled, patting her on the head twice proudly. "Boy after my own heart. Glad to see that bottomless pit of yours actually leads somewhere, I was startin'a get jealous." 

Eva let the shrimp comment slide, smirked, and quickly used his insult as a dig at the Colonel. "Yeah, well, it's kinda hard to keep fit when you're cooped up in an apartment all day. Take a guess who I've got to blame for this?" She folded her arms, actually starting to enjoy herself a little, though Al seemed ridiculously unnerved at their comments. Hell, he seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Brother, what if you..." Al hurriedly grabbed something from the table to occupy his sister’s mouth. At least she wasn’t drinking anymore. "How about this, brother? Yum!" He thrust some soup into her hands.

Roy, hearing her badmouthing him, naturally gravitated into the conversation. "Hey, you know why I gave you that time off.” He knew she didn’t care, but it helped to sound convincing. “As for your size, don't blame me for a few extra pounds just because you've been eating too much and not exercising enough.”

The soup nearly sloshed onto the floor, but the girl couldn't help but glare back at him. She stood her ground, “Yeah, well that’s what happens when you’ve got nothing but time. You sit on your ass all day filling out paperwork, right? I’m surprised you’re not twice my size by now. Or maybe that’s because you spend any time you’re not working at a bar. That’ll solve your problems, won’t it? Tell ya what, Mustang, I’d rather be full than drunk. Fuck off.”

She gulped down the bowl, staring daggers at the man, practically daring him to keep going. They'd drawn a crowd.

Roy nearly bit his tongue trying not to swear at her. “Rather be full than drunk? I’m pretty sure you had both covered! I may get drunk, but at least I actually try to leave my house. No one ever said you were confined to your apartment, but there you were!"

“Waiting for missions I’d never get.” She mumbled, swiped her file, and headed toward the door. “Great party. Good luck with that one, Lieutenant, you’re gonna need it.”

The whole room quaked with enough force to throw everyone off their balance, as the deafening bang of an explosion muted the chatter of the party.

Roy's team all flocked to the windows, aghast at the sight before them. Far below stood a man, an alchemist frantically looking about. He didn't have a name, at least to the soldiers firing back. Even with a huge gash in the wall, it was obvious to the crowd that this 'threat' wouldn't be considered one for long.

After a few moments of murmuring and gawking, Falman, having gone far too long without anything to drink, chimed in. "I think they've got it taken care of..."

Something bright caught Fuery's eyes, however, and he checked to make sure he'd seen right. "Looks like Fullmetal's out there. Guess that talk about exercising really got to him.” He grinned. “This should be fun to watch." Seeing Ed fight was a rare treat, but the kid never failed to kick ass.

Roy sighed as she took off after the alchemist. Neither elegant nor refined, he supposed, but she was efficient. No doubt she’d throw him off, not needing a circle.

Finally having caught up with the man, she dug her feet into the ground, clapped, and… nothing? She tried again, but was hardly able to put her hands together before the alchemist used one of the symbols on his sleeves to send a stone zipping past her shoulder in warning.

Her breaths were labored, but despite the situation, Eva managed to give a warning of her own, “I’d back down if I were you. Takes a lot of guts to assault a military building like this.”

“I know what I’m doing.” The man, although not very intimidating himself, had a hoarsely serious tone. “Step aside, I’m not looking to fight you. The military can’t just forget the people they murder.”

“I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with here.” Sure of her steps, the alchemist marched forward. His transmutations were rough, as if he’d just learned how to use it. Eva glanced up to make sure they were watching and charged headfirst at her attacker. Just two feet away, she dropped to the ground, clapping her hands again but-

She couldn't transmute.

Roy and Al both howled at the realization. She was actually in danger. They had to do something.

The alchemist was a bit confused by her actions. “Hey, you trying ta play patty cake or something?”

Wait… if she couldn’t transmute then… 

Fuck.

He cleared the distance between them, delivering a kick to her jaw in the confusion. The military gunners couldn’t help the situation, for fear of hitting Eva. She hit the pavement with a thud and clapped once more. Still nothing. Another blow, this time to her chest. She took a step back, wiping a trickle of blood from her face, but kept her eyes focused on his. Big mistake. The surprisingly dangerous man lunged at her, which caused Eva to reflexively clap again. It was pointless.

Roy grabbed Eva with one hand, swept her behind himself, and used the other to snap. And just like that, the threat was gone. The alchemist incinerated, all that remained of him was the sharp odor of burning flesh. 

He held her close, shaking with adrenaline. Roy’s grip remained tight, as if she’d slip from his grasp at any moment. He’d almost lost her and- “Are you alright?” The ash had nearly settled, but there was no response from her.

It took her a full minute for Al's words to catch up with her, and for Mustang's grip to register. As if fearing for her own life weren't enough... Someone must have asked if she was okay...the question kept ringing in her ears like a broken record. Eva's legs had grown wobbly, and it took most of Roy’s remaining strength to keep her standing. But, as their voices came clear, her shell shocked expression didn't fade. "I-I have to go..." She managed to get out, frantically moving towards home. Why wasn't she moving? ...Roy still had an arm around her...why hadn't he let go?

The flame alchemist shifted awkwardly, only letting go when she’d gained her footing once more. “Eva, I think we really need to talk about what happened."

But she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t get a word out. Eva merely shook her head, letting out a jumble of indecipherable sounds. She stumbled into Alphonse’s arms for a second, and then wandered in the vague direction of home, devastation on her face.

They both gaped at her retreating form for a moment. "Alphonse, go on and go home. I'll make some excuse as to what happened. Please make sure she's alright."

He'd never seen her so scared. Al looked to him, giving a brief 'thank you' before joining her off in the distance. From where he stood, Roy saw her look back with broken eyes before distancing herself further. Al did his best with comfort, trying to convince her that things he knew to be true might not be. He knew she wouldn't take his words, but gave them anyway. "No matter what happens, we're going to be okay." But stone faced and determined, she was past that point. The only doctor she could go to for proof wanted her head on a platter, and her only ally was the brother beside her.

With her heart pounding, her eyes on the man she'd left behind, and the family she'd let down, Eva let two words slip from her lips.

"I'm sorry.”


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Al sighed, leaning against the wall outside their bathroom door. Eva was in there for the twelfth time since they’d arrived home, and this time it had nothing to do with morning sickness. She was in a panic, and judging by the slew of pregnancy tests strewn about the apartment, she’d finally put the pieces together. "So?" Al called hesitantly, regretting having spoken in the first place. "What's the answer?" He needed to hear her say it.

11 tests. All positive, and the blonde sat fiddling with another box with a glass of orange juice on the sink counter. She was furious, and Eva's hands shook as she mumbled, trying to play her hysteria off as irritation. "Dammit! Why the hell can't I just be getting fat? I can deal with that! Fat doesn't get you burned at the stake! Did you see what happened to Diana… what's-her-head? They put her in front of a firing squad! Hell, we called enough attention to ourselves at that damn drugstore! They're gonna kill me, Al! Kinda hard to hide a damn baby!" She fumbled with the package, before giving up, tossing it aside, and storming out the door. Eva was absolutely fuming. How far along was she? How the hell had she been so stupid? She made her way over to the couch dropping down and plopping her head in her hand to massage her temples. Fuck.

"So..." Al came over to sit across from her. "Who do you think the father is then?" He hesitated, waiting for her reaction. Had she thought about it? Did she know? The Colonel was bound to call any minute to check up on her. 

"I DON'T THINK THAT REALLY MATTERS, AL! HELL, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I AM WITH THIS! KNOWING WHAT BASTARD DID THIS TO ME ISN'T GONNA SAVE MY ASS!" She didn't dare look him in the eyes. What the hell options did she have? The only thing that rang in her mind were sickening words from a man she'd been rid of months ago. 

'And dear, if they ever find out, run fast, run far. I'll cover my tracks. I'll pay my way out, but you, darling...not even money could save you when they send out their dogs.' Doctor Davis was right…

"But sis--" Eva nearly leapt out of her skin. Roy was calling. Al sighed, standing and making his way over to the phone "It's the Colonel. He promised to check in on you once the party had settled down again." Picking it up, he answered, "Hello? Yes, Hi, Colonel Mustang. She's here; she--" The phone was ripped out of his hand.

"Uh, everything's fine! Situation normal! We had a slight alchemic malfunction, but...uh...everything's fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?" It was the best she could come up with, and hopefully believable enough to shut the bastard up. Her face paled when he spoke. When was the last time...? No...no it couldn't have- 

"You can't expect me to believe that, Elric. Everything’s fine? You really had me worried, Eva. Are you sure you're alright? That's never happened before, has it?” He took a deep breath, letting any anger and fear fade back to concern. "Don't scare me like that, Fullmetal. I’m not about to lose you too.”

She scoffed at his words, perhaps a bit more forcefully than she'd intended as thoughts flooded over her, "Of course this happened before, it's the reason I have to hide like this! We're just fine! Like I said, I've had bigger brushes with death and this won't be the last one." Considering the news she’d just uncovered, that alchemist was meaningless. How long had it been since her last transmutation? Hell, earlier that day she would have known. She'd done enough complaining about being kept off missions for…

Four months…

"Don't worry about me. How's the Lieutenant? Bet Havoc got drunk off his ass when we left." Al had been keeping her from drinking...had he known? She stared at him for a while before deciding he couldn't have. Alphonse wasn't keyed in to things like that, and if it had taken her this long, there was no way he'd have figured it out before she had. With her eyes focused on one particular spot in the wall, she twirled her hands on the phone cord before it at last hit that he'd spoken once more. Eva scrambled to catch up. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

She thought back to the night that she and Roy slept together. Wasn’t that four months ago? Is was the only conceivable time that she would have… conceived. Fuck. She nearly dropped the phone with the realization. 

It was his.

"Of course Havoc got drunk. It was a party with free alcohol." He chuckled. "We practically had to pour him into his bed." He smiled into the phone. "Riza is fine. Tipsy, but fine. I think we all are, a little bit. I'm feeling surprisingly sober." It also took a lot more to get him drunk. "You left your coat here… must have forgotten it in all the commotion. Do you want me to come over and give it to you? I can do that."

"Don't!" She practically shouted into the receiver, before looking back at her brother, caught up in trepidation. He seemed to be encouraging something. Surely he couldn't have figured that out too. "I-I mean...aren't you leaving tomorrow?" She asked, running her fingers up and down the phone, "Early in the morning, right? It's already 9, and it's raining, ya know...the best time to sleep is when there's rain. Why don't I swing by when you get back? Hell, you could probably drop it off before you leave. Just don't wake me up, you know what happened to the last guy that didn't let me sleep in." She cringed, joking about Doctor Davis, but hoped she'd gotten the point across. One more glance back to Al. He wanted the phone, but there was no way that was happening.

He sighed. "Yeah, that’s true. I was just hoping to see you before we left. We didn’t really get a chance to discuss things at the party." 

"What, was picking on my weight and watching me get my ass kicked not enough for you?" She laughed, a hint of poison in her voice. Eva rested her hand on…

Dammit. No, she wasn't gonna start doing that.

Running his fingers through his hair, he gave a nervous chuckle. "Look... the way I talked to you towards the end of the party was unacceptable, I’ll admit that. I don’t care what size you are, as long as you can keep yourself safe. Are you sure you’re okay?"

She didn’t have time for this. "Don't you have a fiancé to attend to? Thought you two'd be lost in passion by now." Her voice was droll and unamused, but her entire body quaked with emotion. It had been since the moment he called.

"Well now that you mention it..." He snickered at the thought of teasing her, but reigned himself in. "No, but seriously, she's in the other room napping. The party was a bit exhausting for her, what with everything that happened. She's plastered. I'm still a little myself, but I didn't want to forget to call you." Dammit. They were getting off track.  
“But that’s not why I called,” he continued, “I called to make sure you were alright. Failing transmutation isn’t something to take lightly… something could be seriously wrong.” 

"I know what’s wrong, don’t worry about it okay?" She mumbled, looking back at Al before her attention snapped back to the conversation.

His mouth gaped. “You know what’s wrong? Could you please clue me-”

"THANKS FOR CHECKING UP ON ME. I'm gonna turn in tonight. Today was a helluva day and I've got a lot to think about. What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?" She'd spent enough mornings waking up for Charles. "I figure it wouldn't hurt to wake up early for a decent human being for a change. You sure picked a good one, how the hell did you convince her to marry you?" Eva's tone was quick and cheery - clearly overcompensating. If Al didn’t know yet, he'd have to have it figured out by the end of tonight.

He gritted his teeth. “Fullmetal… it would really help all of us if we knew what was the matter with-" She responded by cutting him off again. Whatever was wrong, she clearly wasn’t going to give it up easily. If she wouldn’t come clean on the phone, he’d have to get her in person. 

"Are you sure you want to get up early to say goodbye? Riza and I are leaving before sunrise. You hate getting up that early."

"Hey, it's better than us showing up at your place in the middle of this weather. I'd ask you over to mine, but," she looked at the stray positive tests scattered around their apartment, and was once again brought back down to reality. Speaking to him always had a way of distorting her perception, be it good or bad. "When Al and I got home we kinda trashed the place..."

The colonel scoffed. "It's just a little rain. Besides, what could you possibly have trashed your apartment with anyway? What, after coming home from a party that Alphonse wouldn't let you drink at you manage to convince him to let you throw a party? I can be there in ten minutes." 

"I-I’m tired" Eva stuttered, nearly dropping the phone at the suggestion. She gathered herself as best as she could, fumbling past formalities and saying, "I should really get to bed. Long day. Nearly died. Not great, but I am waking up to wish you guys luck tomorrow. Don't fight me on this, I'll kick your ass, and you know it." The blush across her face was far too obvious for Al not to notice. He folded his arms waiting for her to hang up, disappointed she didn’t tell him. They'd be talking as soon as she was done, and Eva was dreading every word.

Roy sighed, shaking his head. "Goodnight, Eva. Sleep well…” Why did she have to be so difficult? He had to give in. "In the off-chance that you do wake up that early, I'll see you at six."

He was still using her real name…

"Alright, if I miss our deadline, tell the Lieutenant she picked a good one too." Eva's eyes shot back to her brother, but his encouragement fell quite flat, as she finished off with an "I'll see you in the morning," a promise she could never keep. 

Despite the bitterness and irritation crawling up her back, Eva couldn't help but smile before hanging up. With one hand still on the phone, and the other resting on her stomach, she turned back to Alphonse, and let out the remaining panicked breath that had caught in her lungs. She didn't like the way he was eyeing her. With the phone back where it belonged, Eva fell silent, staring over herself and down to the shabbily carpeted floor. "Don't look at me like that...he's engaged, he deserves to be happy. I'm not dragging him into this sinking ship..."

"Sister..." Al sighed. "He should know. Don't you think that if he knew he might be able to help us? He has connections. That's why we were worried about him finding out about you to begin with. But he cares about you. Don't you think that he'll want to help?"

"We don't need connections..." she answered, her voice much different than it had been with the Colonel just seconds before. Eva made her way into the bedroom and pulled out a suitcase. "Look, we drew a lot of attention earlier today as it is. The longer we wait, the quicker the military gets to us. We pack tonight, and after we wish that bastard goodbye, it's goodbye Amestris. We don't really have any other options, Al." There was a kind of sobriety to her voice as she looked back to her brother. Maybe Creta had a better way to get their bodies back...either way, they were looking at a long journey ahead of them.

He stood his ground. "He could get us leave time. We've already been out of the office for most of the last four. What's six more? We could stay here, Eva. We could actually stay here. We wouldn't have to run. Besides, he deserves to know that it's his."

"W-We can't stay here..." she protested, balling a fist and glaring. How stupid was he? Central had too many eyes, and sure now she could explain her newly found gut as the result of overindulgence, but that wouldn't last! "Sure they haven't figured it out yet, but give it another month or too. I'll be the first walled up against a firing squad without a word to my name. My real name. The papers will eat up the tragic untimely tale of Edward Elric. How could they not?” It was sure to sell. There was one thing, however she couldn't protest, so Eva tucked that thought away.

"We don’t have to leave the country… what if we just left the city?" He held his arms toward her, pleading. "What if we go home? No one would question it and no one would come seek us out. I know we said we would never go back, but...it's not like we're going to continue to look for the Stone right now anyway." He sighed, looked to his feet. "We could see Winry and Pinako all the time, and they'd be there to help. Please, sister. It’s his, isn’t it? Don't leave without telling him."

Al's comment on the stone cut right through her core, but despite how his words had her tangled, she couldn't deny that he was right. "They are doctors..." she thought aloud, her shoulders scrunching when she thought of the reaction the two of them would give her once they learned the news. What the hell were they gonna do with a baby? And when the hell had she started crying?! Eva let her fist fall as she made her way back to the sofa, suddenly overcome with emotion. Her armored brother was quick to follow, letting out a sigh of his own as she spoke. "I-I can't do this...they're gonna kill me...and I'm not gonna ruin his marriage..."

Hell, if Winry was gonna kill her, Eva shuddered to think of what Teacher would do.

Alphonse gave her a hug, wrapping his arms around her. "They'll be mad, but they're family. They won't turn us away, and you know that. As for the Colonel... He just wants to keep you safe. He can do that. Let him? For me?"

His metal arms felt as soft as pillows in that moment. How the hell was he being so calm about this? Wasn't he mad? Disappointed in her? She certainly was, at least in herself. Perhaps his acceptance only amplified her disappointment. Still…

"Okay..." she resigned, the word resonating on his cold metal frame. In wiping her eyes, she pulled away - still shaking from it all. As much as she dreaded going out in the rain like this, Eva knew if she put it off any longer, she'd back out. They lived together now, right? Just before she reached the door, she froze, turned back to her brother and with the words tumbling out, she spoke once more before heading off. 

"Maybe we'll get lucky and he and the lieutenant will be looking to have a kid of their own. I’m gonna owe them a wedding present...a life isn't bad, right?” She rested a hand on the doorframe, speaking once more, decidedly. "They'd be good parents..." And with that, she merely let her smile fade. "I'll be back..." It was a promise. Somehow, she had to make this right to him. 

For now, though, Al was left with meaningless words and a room filled with memories now threatened by the very existence of a foreign life. Finding herself weighed down by the gravity of her circumstances, Eva started down the stairs and out the door. There was someone she had to meet tonight. There was another life she’d yet to ruin…


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! We're releasing this chapter a little early because I've been sick, and don't think I'll be awake at midnight to release it then. Thank you for reading! - Becca

Roy eyed the bottle of whiskey on the shelf, and then shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the soft spell of the pouring rain... perhaps it was the fact that Roy been left with no blankets as his fiancé slept, but regardless of the reasoning and despite all efforts, something didn't sit right. Over and over the scene played in his mind. What the hell had happened? Today had been terrifying. The possibility of losing Eva had never seemed real until that moment. She'd always been so capable, so able to handle herself. If he hadn't stepped in, she'd be dead now...but...why? It was 3:45, and it looked like tonight was gonna be a sleepless night. Was it because she was sick? Slowly, he sorted through his recollection of the day, but nothing the Colonel came up with made any damn sense. He'd made up his mind to get out of bed, making his way to the window to think. It was pouring out there... Riza always did sleep well in storms. Maybe he needed to just lay down again. Roy breathed a sigh, and just as he was about to turn away, a flash of gold came into view.

"The hell is she doing out there?" he mumbled, looking down upon the pavement. Yawning once more, the Colonel scratched the back of his head - his eyes shooting open in a state of shock. The man spun around - his vision falling to her once more, in a focused and fearful panic. Things were beginning to make sense. His diaphragm stopped as it all came together - she was crossing the street now, but Eva didn't have to tell him anything. He knew. Down the stairs he hurried - careful to make sure Riza lay undisturbed. But as the door swung open, and the rain trickled down - he found her not about to open the door, but retreating into the storm. She was ready to run, but frozen by the sound of the knob turning. Evangeline took a deep breath and shut her eyes. 

"Eva..."...seconds trailed by - both figures frozen in place before the blonde finally got the strength to move. With her knees weak and breath still caught on the cold air of the night, she sat on the first step of his porch and stared back to empty street.

Her voice was fragmented - broken under the fear it held and the breath she took in and let out in a gasp. Nearly masked under the soft roar of the storm, she spoke. Of course he'd figured it out... there was no going back anymore. "This is gonna kill me..." Her words felt more serious than she'd intended. 

It wasn't something she could just laugh off, and despite her need to act aloof and coy about being here...about all that was going on, he could see through her facade as if it were glass. So now, rather than letting her sit there, afraid and very alone, Roy sighed and joined her on the porch. "...I won’t let that happen."

For just a moment they both fell silent, watching the rain fall. Sparkling against the dark pavement.

"I-I'm not gonna be responsible for putting you underground too. If I'm asked, you didn't know. If they ask you, keep your mouth shut. I'm a heavy enough weight on your shoulders as it is, and you didn't ask for this, so I promise..." 

He wrapped his arms around her instantly, and shushed her words that had become ramblings. With a sigh, he declared, "Hey. No. I'm not going to pretend that this night didn't happen too. Like it or not, we're in this together, Eva. I'm not going to let you just walk away from me. Not again. Nothing is going to happen to you." Roy spoke that last part twice as if slowly confirming the words for himself.

A heavy fear settled on their collective shoulders. What the hell were they gonna do? There wasn’t much they could do at this point. Maybe if he could get her a few months leave. How many did she need? She was pretty big, would five be alright? Six? 

Then suddenly, Eva felt her hand entwined with his, and before she could pull away, Roy squeezed it tight. Evangeline took in a deep breath, fighting back all the fear and pain that was building up before he broke her silence in a simple moment with a few sincere words. "I won’t let them hurt you."

As the rain grew heavy on their clothes she let go of everything keeping her together, and cried. Perhaps this was the moment it finally became clear to her. Evangeline let her hand free of his and cautiously hugged tight to his sides, and just for a moment, she believed him.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Third time’s the charm,’ In his 27 years of life Roy had heard the phrase more than he cared to admit. Sure, in theory those words held a promise, after all, sets of threes were always good, right? They were supposed to be. Unfortunately for the Colonel, those words became bitter with time. For Roy Mustang, the phrase tended to follow misfortune or at the very least annoyance. Those are words you only hear after the nurse has missed your vein twice, and only said when you’re on a losing streak. Roy needed a win, but more than anything, he needed for this to be any time but the third. 

So, here he was again, planted in front of the Elric’s door and debating for the third time whether or not it would be better to just walk away. Hell, he wasn’t even supposed to be here in the first place. There was so much he hadn’t resolved. Eva was far from safe and that needed to come first. She needed her coat back.

He could keep her safe on this new mission once he’d guaranteed her the leave time she needed. That was his priority. Al could keep her safe if he wasn’t there, right? This was a possible lead on the stone, and the last time she’d had a mission like that things didn’t end well. Surely, he could get their time secured and meet them in Risembool. Even then, there was the chance something could happen to her… 

She could handle herself. He didn’t need to be here. Why the hell was he wasting his time on this? He’d transferred the mission with Riza to take care of the issue.

Eva needed her coat.

Roy steadied himself, put his hand to the door, and knocked against it only once before it pulled open. Met with the younger Elric, he couldn't help but take a sip of his steamy black coffee.

“Good morning, Colonel." He sounded rushed. "Can I help you with anything? I thought you and the Lieutenant would be gone by now.” Al seemed eager to pull the door closed. Clearly they hadn't been expecting company.

"Hello, Alphonse. Edward forgot his coat at the office. I did some double checking, and it looks like you're slated to leave for that mission today. Think he could use a hand?" Roy smiled easily, and could just glimpse inside...it hadn't been this trashed when he'd left her last night. "What's with the mess?"

Eva pulled the door open, and Roy was met once again with a familiar draped tee shirt and boxers - her condition nearly obvious against their tight fabric. It was hard not to stare. "I thought you said you had your own mission today. Hard to beat a paid vacation with your fiance. Weren't you supposed to be gone by now?" She shuddered for a moment, practically forcing Alphonse out of the doorway.

"I called someone else in, may I step in. No need to worry about that. Besides that, it's best if we finish this conversation inside. No use standing in the hallway, after all.” If they wasted any more time, they’d probably draw at least some attention.

Eva had no time to protest, as the door was pulled open in seconds. Alphonse wasn't about to leave him floundering about in the hall. He had breakfast to attend to. 

The blonde shot an irritated glance towards her brother, and let out a sigh as she scratched the back of her neck. With the door pulled closed once more, Eva couldn't help but frown as she made her way over to the sofa. Piles of clothes far too small for her swollen physique lay scattered about the place, and with an expression wrought with embarrassment - Eva took to avoiding his gaze once more. "You should've gone with Riza. I can handle myself." She shifted, clearly uneasy with his presence, then let out a sigh, resigned to it all. "What do you want?"

Roy let out a breath, and crossed the room, never letting her coat out of his grasp. "The case you requested. Can you be ready by noon, Eva?" He asked her, dreading the answer. Looking around at the clutter, the empty takeout containers strewn everywhere amongst the food and even the state of her hair, things were not at its best. Without pause, he continued, "I’m going to give you some back up on this, but we need to leave today. That isn’t up for negotiation, either."  
He couldn't be serious. Eva scoffed, glaring up at him, her shoulders tense like brittle broken glass. If this was what he meant by offering his 'assistance' she'd be better off on her own. Hell, it was a little late for protection at this point. 

"Yeah, sure. If you can manage to find something suitable for a mission that fits me you can tag along. I'm sure with that special honeymoon canceled you've got nothing better to do." She shuddered, nausea slowly creeping up her throat. This couldn't be good.

Eva took the original file from an end table. Had she even gotten a chance to look through it? Didn’t he say something about Risembool? Winry was going to kill her…  
Despite the help they could probably provide, she didn't exactly welcome the thought of going home like this.  
There was something almost vulnerable about Eva’s expression. She was glaring, sure, but it almost felt hollow. Roy caught himself focusing on her eyes once again. "I handed off my mission to assist you with yours." 

Eva let out a jet of air, but chose not to comment. 

"Hey, don't give me that look, Elric. Just because you think you can handle a mission on your own doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to send you on your own when you can't transmute. And yes, Al is coming too, but let's face it. With the way the two of you tend to solve missions...there's no way this will be completed by the deadline they set."

"Like I said - you find something I can squeeze into and I'll have no issues carting my ass off to whatever bullshit assignment they've sent for me." She rose from her seat, starting off to the kitchen where Al stood, already preparing an early made breakfast for two. "Until you can do that - I think I'll work on keeping those bastards from figuring things out. Sound like a plan, Al?" She called back to her brother, receiving only a thumbs up from the other room. Eva turned to him, dropping her expression in favor of a smirk. "Why don't you see yourself out? I bet you can still make it wherever the hell you were goin' if ya hurry. Besides, I've got a mouth to feed, and some bacon that doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Willing himself with the patience to put up with her stubbornness, he sighed, declaring, "Alright, look, since you seem so adamant about it, I'll help you find something." He rolled his eyes. "You can't hide from the world forever, Eva. How long have you been holed up in here anyway?" He glanced around again, staring at their mess of an apartment. "How many meals do you think you’ve forced Al to go out and buy from some cheap stand because you've been having cravings? You can’t just hide here until the baby’s born, it doesn’t work that way." He steeled his gaze. "You're fighting reality. That's not a battle you're going to win."

Fighting reality, huh? What world was he living in? Hell, if she could, she’d leave at the drop of a hat. Eva opened her mouth - a wall of insults and snark prepared, only to force it shut once more and bolt to the bathroom, throwing the door shut behind her. It was hard to fight back with her head in the toilet, so instead, Eva resigned herself to the porcelain god of morning sickness, and flushed those words away. 

Had her life not been on the line - this would have been the worst part of the situation...

She grimaced, wiping vomit from her pale lips, and turned back to find her superior hovering over her shaking figure almost like that of wasp. How was that for a touch of reality?

Who exactly was he looking at anyway? Breda noticed her size. The whole office noticed...it wouldn't be long before they began to put two and two together unless they did something. Eva steadied herself, wiping the drizzle from nose. It would be a while before she'd feel stable enough to walk.

"Hey," He held out his hand to help her up. The man looked scared shitless. "Are you going to be okay, Eva?" With her head on the white tiled floors, the girl’s cheeks almost looked healthy. She looked paler than ever, and resigned herself to silence. Though the alchemist protested, it didn’t take long to bring her to her feet. The Colonel let her lean against him, a cautiously led her to the living room. Had she been dealing with this all on her own? 

"I-I made enough breakfast if you'd like to stay, Colonel..." a voice piped up from behind the door. Alphonse, clearly ill-equipped with the situation, wasted no time in extending his assistance. If Roy was going to get the two of them out of this, it was the least the younger Elric could do to pay him back. Ready with a glass of water, he passed it to his sister and shot a concerned glance to the Colonel.

The glass nearly slipped from her fingers, but Eva managed to gulp it down without much hesitation. Her entire body shook, even with Roy for support, and more than anything she just wanted to lay down and go back to sleep. With a trepid glance to her brother, Eva let her entire weight rest against her superior. "I-I think I need to lay back down. I'll talk to you later, sir." The Alchemist made a feeble attempt to make it to her room before being blocked by her Brother.

"Come on, Sis...you can't just go back to sleep. I made breakfast."

"What's the point." She sighed in irritation, grabbing Roy's arm for stability once more. "It's not like it matters. They're gonna figure it out anyway...may as well just lay in bed til they come for me. Safest bet..."

He helped to steady her, unconsciously pulling her closer. "With that attitude you may as well call them and out yourself. Alphonse is right; you should probably eat. If nothing else, you might feel a little better with some food in your stomach. I'll find you some clothes to wear for the mission. We can leave tomorrow if that's better." Cutting it close, sure, but if she was in this condition maybe it was best. She wasn't happy about following him, he noticed, but was having trouble doing anything about it. Roy hated seeing her like this.

Eva snuffled, making her way to the kitchen table. How the hell was she supposed to eat like this? Roy seemed to be staring...

She put her head to the table. If they wouldn't let her sleep in her bed, she'd sleep here.

Alphonse shook his head and placed a number of plates on the table in front of them. "Our plan isn't gonna work if you don't eat, sis..." he reminded her, though it didn't cause much of a stir.

He frowned, looking at Al. "Plan? What plan?” He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "We've got enough to worry about without any messing around on your part."

As if magically cured, Eva's head shot up from the table - dying to explain her genius to the man. It was perfect. 

"That's where you're wrong. We figured it out last night! As long as those stupid military bastards just think I'm picking up weight they're not gonna think to look any deeper. I just need to thicken up a little bit, and from there it's all about clothing. Anything baggy enough to cover these works of art," she said gesturing to her breasts proudly. "After this mission, I've got...what...a week before I leave? I'll be pushing 5 months, right? Any time I spend in the offices we can keep short. And from there, we're home free." She high fived her brother and took a huge bite, thrilled with herself and what they'd put together. "Besides, gives me an excuse to eat what I want when I want. I'd say that's pretty damn good."

Was it possible for that much ‘stupid’ to come out of someone’s mouth at once? "What--" Roy was wheezing, the words coming out in gasps, "the--" just for a moment she thought he was choking. That’s when it became clear. "hell--" He burst out into a fit of laughter again before he managed to contain himself enough to get out a full sentence. "What the hell kind of plan is that? You're going to gorge yourself so that no one can tell that you're pregnant." He snorted and burst out laughing again. Once Roy seemed satisfied, he took a deep breath, and continued on as if nothing had happened, "You realize how stupid that idea is right? You can't gain enough weight where you want to in that much time to compensate! It’s not possible!” 

The look of determination on her face was priceless, and the fire and gold in her eyes glared back at him as she took a bite. "Watch me." Eva folded her arms, kicked her legs back in one of the chairs and gulped down her glass of orange juice.

Al took a seat right by his sister's side. "So, when are we leaving? You said this is in Risembool, right?" Al dreaded the thought of Winry finding out, but welcomed the idea of seeing her again. It had been too long. Besides, there as always a chance that she’d understand.

"You don't have to go, right? Al and I can handle this on our own. Not like you don't have more important things to take care of."

Without hesitation, the Colonel shook his head, "This is where I need to be right now. I'm sure Alphonse can help you just fine, but I'm not going to let you go into this without my help when you can just as easily have it. You're not up to your physical peak, and you can't transmute. You need me on this, and I can handle getting your leave time while we’re there." Roy tried to push the thought of kissing up to Olivier Armstrong from his mind. Finally, he settled into eating what he could of the breakfast as well, snatching some bacon and a plate of pancakes. He drank his milk with a smile.

"Physical Peak?" She laughed. As if that mattered. She had enough skill to handle whatever they could throw at her. If anything, she was ready for the challenge. "You really think that's gonna stop me? I've got enough up my sleeve to take down whatever comes at me. Come along if you want, but you're gonna be bored."

Al shifted uneasily. "Sis...you had to take a break midway down the stairs last night. I think we might really need him on this..."

Eva shot a glare back, "That's not the same, Al."

It was clear that if he had them, Al would have rolled his eyes. "Yes, the difference is stairs don't try to kill you."

Roy snickered into his bacon. Swallowing down some more milk, he chimed in, "Besides, even with your state alchemist status still intact, you're not exactly the best at negotiating. Especially when everyone seems to think that the great 'Fullmetal Alchemist' is actually Alphonse."

"Look, none of that matters. I go in, rough up whatever assholes I need to; and I'll be back at Granny's by dinner. No sweat." She grinned, picking up her fully cleaned plate, and carrying it over to the sink.

Alphonse couldn't help but ask at this point. Perhaps Roy was right. "Are you sure she can handle something like this? You said we might be dealing with the stone, right? I know she has to go, but couldn't we make an excuse or something?"

Roy nervously bit at the inside of his mouth, looking down at his half-eaten plate. There was no way this plan of hers was going to work. She couldn’t transmute, and there was no way she could hide the pregnancy with fat, unless she planned to gain two-hundred or so pounds in a month.

Still... what were the other options? If they could keep this under wraps for a month, perhaps they could find a way out. "I just need to make a phonecall up north, and you’ll be set to leave when we get back."

Alphonse's voice took a much lighter tone. This had been a good idea after all. "You see? I told you he'd be able to help us, and Winry can too." If they were leaving today, they'd have to get going. If they'd been in East City, perhaps they could have made it home in time for lunch. Central on the other hand… Central was farther.

"I still don't have anything I can wear..." Eva reminded them, flopping back down in the chair across from him. Her stomach churned at the idea of anything more, but this was survival! She snatched the rest of Roy's bacon.

Roy took a moment to give a doubtful look with a snicker in Eva's general direction. It was surreal to see her apply her trademark tenacity to fattening herself up. "If you keep eating like this, we'll have to get you a personal tailor." He laughed at Eva's nasty look as she shoved the bacon down her throat, on top of all of the other food she'd inhaled. "If anything, I can use your eating habits as a way to convince them you're under too much stress."

Al looked back from one to the other. Was this really all the wisest decision? He'd much rather they go straight to Winry's. Eva nearly leapt from her chair. She didn’t need to hear anything more.

"Fullmetal, there's no way you're leaving without me. You've got no alchemy, and you're pregnant for God's sake. I've already assigned myself as your protection, so there'll be no protesting." He matched her quickening pace around her apartment, stopping outside of her room. 

Grunting and heaving emanated from the closed door as she fought to change herself into what she always wore. 

Al followed Mustang, and leaned his back on the wall opposite the Colonel.

For a moment, opening the door almost seemed like the best option, but Al quickly shook the thought away. "Hey, thanks for everything, Colonel. I knew you'd be able to help." What else was he supposed to say in a situation like this? Eva's muffled complaining wasn't making things easy. With his thoughts sorted, and a lull hanging over the two, Al gathered the courage to keep talking. "She wanted to run off without saying anything..."

"Of course she did," Roy mirrored Al, leaning just as he did, "it really wouldn't be her if she wanted to stay here and touch base with everyone. That's never been her." Had the notion of forethought ever crossed her mind? Even once? It was a bit maddening sometimes. "I figured as much, so I figured you’d need help on this." He smiled, but Al remained stoic.

From inside her room, Eva could be heard swearing at the buttons of her pants. She wondered quite loudly if she'd really gotten that much bigger since yesterday. The alchemist let out a heave, then tossed her binder away. Too painful, she'd have to think of something else. One stray glance to the mirror...what was happening to her? Forgetting clothes for a moment, the alchemist stared down at herself. Why had it taken so long to figure this out? Maybe they'd be better off just staying in Risembool...preparing to fight whatever soldiers came after her. Surely someone else had put everything together...

That suitcase was still packed... how far could she get if they didn't stop driving? 

Eva couldn't swallow that sense back down...

Impending doom...

She drew in a breath and fiddled with the buttons again, not willing to ask for Al's help again. 

"How'd you manage that? I thought you were supposed to leave with Riza this morning. It was a change in plans, right? Unless..."

Did he just want to spend time with her? Still, it didn't make sense.

"Like I said before, this is more important than that, I'm not about to to let Eva go off on her own after what happened with that alchemist at the party. I think Riza'll understand that." He turned his head toward the door, listening in on Eva's struggles for a moment longer. "But, if you think you can handle it on your own..."

"N-no, no! I'm glad you're going. I don't know what this mission is gonna be like, but we need all the help we can get." Al shifted, thinking to himself. "You said this could be about the stone, right?" If they did manage to come across the stone, maybe they could run. "Those missions are never too safe..."

"You think?" His tone was a bit elevated. "Last time we had a lead on one of those damn things, Eva ended up in the hospital and you had an identity crisis. I don't think we can afford for that to happen now..."

Before Al could speak up, the door behind them pulled open. She was quiet, her body slouched and shaken. At first she didn't speak, her shoulders bunching at the thought. "I can't get the pants on..." 

Roy had heard that tone in her voice before...

Al nearly leapt up to help only to be blocked by Roy. "How did you get these on last night?” He asked, examining the fly, “There's no way that could be good for the baby..." he tried to tug the fly shut and button it, but with no success. "Why is it that you NEED leather pants? Do you have anything else?"

Eva shrank in on herself at his touch. "These are all I have..." she looked up to her brother, begging for support. "The binder's too tight too. I think I'm gonna have to go without." there was no way they'd avoid security on the train. "Maybe I could just hide inside Al's armor..."

Al jumped back at the thought. "Sister... I don't think that's going to work. I've never had anyone wear me, and I don't think your arms and legs are long enough to..." He stopped himself when he began to see her seethe. "All I'm saying is it would be really painful to take an entire train ride while inside of me."

"No need to worry about that, Al. I can just drive her. However, you need to be seen with me at a couple of checkpoints." Roy tried to pull the fly of the pants together once more, but to no avail. How did she do it? He stepped back in frustration. "Ugh... that's it. You still have to wear something. Do you think you'd be able to fit in one of my uniforms?" He held his arms out so she could get a good look at the size of his clothes.

Her embarrassment only grew at his words, and though Eva felt the need to apologize she held her tongue. "We already tried my uniform. It's big in the wrong places, and small in the ones that count. Your legs are a lot longer than mine anyway..." she pushed past them, flopping down on the sofa. She'd done this to herself. "What's the point?"

Roy strode over to the sofa, standing over her for a moment before taking a seat next to her. He put a hand on her shoulder. "Eva, you have to work with me. It's not pointless." He gestured to his trousers. "I might be taller than you, but I think I might be as wide in the waist as you are now. If we fold the pant legs up a few times and tuck them into your boots, you shouldn't have a problem. You'll blend right in with all the other soldiers." He stared into her eyes, trying to be reassuring.

Eva took in a breath, but shook her head. It would never work. As tears pricked her lashes, she couldn't help but glare. Crying?! Again?! What the hell was wrong with her?! Before they could notice, she hopped to her feet and marched back to the bedroom. "We're wasting time. Give me your other pants and get out. I'll meet you in the car."

Roy reeled back a bit, but couldn’t help noticing the tears creeping from her eyes as she walked into the opposite room. He whipped his vision over to Al. They’d both seen it. The Colonel gestured for him to follow her with his head, which set Al into motion.

The metal boy rushed over to the room, carrying Roy’s spare uniform in his arms. He gently placed himself at the edge of the door frame. Evangeline was slumped on the edge of the mattress. "...Eva... do you want anything?" His movements were careful, as if Al were tending to a wounded animal.

She didn't stir at first, but as soon as Al’s voice peaked from the corner, Eva was up and moving. "I-I'll be out in a minute..."

They were still tight, and despite fumbling with the buttons on the uniform to, the alchemist found her situation far more comfortable. May as well go all out with this. Eva looked back to her brother, picked her binder back up, and grabbed the military jacket. "I'll meet you guys in the car, okay? Don't wait up." 

Though her brother hesitated, she soon found herself alone once more. Eva forced herself into her binder, ignored the pain, and pulled on her military coat. She tucked her pants into her boots, looked over to the clothes she used to donn, and started down to the car. This was gonna be a long trip.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter marks the first content completely written by Riley and I. Though we both parted ways with Shannon back in October, she had written up until the previous chapter. From here on out, everything you read is new content. Thank you for reading! - Becca

The sun bobbed low in the horizon when Winry finally decided to push away from her desk. Her fingers were shaky and reddened from all of the tinkering she'd been doing, but the end result was gonna be worth it. When did she start? All she knew was she woke in the middle of the night with a particularly good idea. Inspiration had hit her hard, but the pains of her empty stomach and the cramping of her legs had finally become too much to bare. 

She took a few shaky steps out of the workshop, relearning how to walk again, and made a beeline for the kitchen. It was as if the proximity to food in the house was making the chasm in her gut all the more present. By the time she actually made it to the pantry, there was a live flame inside of her. Food... Water... She hastily grasped at some bread and stuffed it into her mouth, sighing with relief.

A knock rang on her door.

… And without a moment’s hesitation, the door swung open. Eva had never been one for courtesy, settling in easily and making her way up the stairs. Her brother, on the other hand, made his way into Winry's work area.

Roy found himself standing in the doorway. Was he even allowed to be here?

From Winry’s perspective, the sound of a break in could mean one of two things. Either a robbery, or...

Eva.

The mechanic could hear the girl trudge up the stairs to her room, and she was quick to follow, bread still in her mouth. She ran past the entryway, where Eva's boss was standing dejectedly-he didn’t matter-made her way up the stairs, and threw open her door to the bedroom. There she was, her back turned... and her automail didn't even look damaged! That alone was cause for celebration. She forcefully hugged Eva from behind, only to come in contact with an unfamiliar set of breasts…

The Alchemist gasped, tensing at her touch. Eva whirled around, her face a deep red, and words becoming jumbled. "H-hey, Winry...it's been a while, hasn't it?" 

Even covered in grease, Winry was just as beautiful as ever. She looked just as she always did - hair tied back in a tight red bandana, and smudges of oil that seemed almost intentional. Eva had gotten used to the site of her mechanic in a tubetop and sweatpants, but even now she couldn’t help but blush and stare. "It's alright if we stay here for a while, right? I've got a mission in the area, and it's a good excuse to see you guys, ya know?" 

Eva silently begged her not to notice. 

If only she were so lucky.

In any other circumstance, Winry would have been fine with her friend gaining some weight. Hell, sometimes Eva looked a little too scrawny for her own good. Eva's mistake was in having automail.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE PLANNING ON GETTING FAT!?" Instantly, the girl's excitement turned to ire. "You'll mess up the suspension in your leg, walking around like that! How much did you gain? Twenty pounds? I'm gonna have to make some adjustments again so you don't break your leg or ruin your hips! Ugh, sit down now!" She pushed the girl onto her bed, and pulled up the pant leg to examine the prosthetic.

"Ten? Fifteen?" She hadn't exactly been keeping track. Roy's pant leg kept slipping down, over her automail, and it didn't take long for Winry to become frustrated. Eva sat back, begging for someone to step in. Her hopes were dashed. The mechanic gripped her hand, and dragged her toward the stairs. "Dammit! Slow down!"

Winry stopped and regarded the girl's leg again. "Oh, of course, how could I forget." She then proceeded to sit her down at the bottom of the stairs, rush into the clinic part of their house for a moment, only to come back with an all-too-familiar wheelchair. "We don't want the calibration on your leg to get any worse!"

Al then rounded the corner after them, which the mechanic took as a good stroke of luck. "Al, why don't you help me get your sister to the workshop! I'm gonna have to beef up the suspension on her leg if she's planning to do nothing but eat cake all day." 

"I don't eat-" Eva couldn't finish defending herself. 

"Nice to see you again too, Winry." Al chirped. While confused by the predicament, he obliged and helped his sister into the chair.

She seemed to have snapped out of a trance for a moment as she pushed the wheelchair towards her work space. "Oh, I'm sorry, Al. I was just so focused on fixing Eva's leg." She stopped to give him a hug, which he happily returned. "I missed both of you for so long, you know?"

"We've been kinda busy recently. We're actually here for a mission, but we figured you'd be able to help us out." 

Eva's shoulders scrunched at Al’s words, and she managed to make eye contact with her superior. Fortunately, before he could speak up, Eva found herself wheeled towards Winry's workshop. 

She must have been working on something important - rather than shoving everything to the side, Winry set her latest prosthetic gently to the ground. It was definitely a leg, but it didn’t seem to be made out of metal. Some kind of plastic? She was about to inquire, but her attention was dominated by her mechanic fiddling with the wires in her leg. 

Somehow, Winry always managed to make her feel like the limbs were all that mattered.

"Alright. I'm going to keep the leg attached this time, just because I need you to test the suspension." She went back to smiling as she dragged a little kit of tools to the floor, sitting cross-legged and humming as she worked. "I suppose I overreacted a bit there... ten pounds isn't the worst thing you could have come back to me with. Sure beats a broken arm." The mechanic twisted at a few areas in the machinery, and pulled out a few metal ligaments. "You know, you actually look pretty cute with the extra weight." She blushed as she worked, before getting back on task.

Eva stuttered, trying to get her words together. Winry’s grip on her leg always managed to be distracting "Y-ya know that's the first time I've been complimented on it." Wait...did Breda's comments count? 

The Alchemist shifted into a more comfortable position. It was hard to keep her leg out for so long, but at least she wasn't throwing wrenches. That probably wouldn't last...

Alphonse, trying to help, could only hand the girl tools. Had Eva told her? Winry was being awfully relaxed about this. "It's not exactly her fault, anyway. We're just trying to keep her safe for now."

Winry looked into Eva's eyes with furrowed brows and a little half-smile. She turned back to her leg, before standing back a bit. "Unfortunately, this is gonna have to be trial and error. Why don't you walk around on it a little, and if it feels good? I'll put the faceplate back on.” Before the alchemist could do as she’d asked, she continued, “Pinako's gonna be happy to see you two. She'll shame you both for being away for so long, but she'll appreciate you."

"Not in that state." Pinako stepped in, brandishing a pipe, and dragging a familiar face behind her. Whatever they'd been hiding, she'd gotten out of the Colonel rather quickly. The old woman stood in the doorway, took in a smoky breath, and had to ask. "So, how far along are you?" 

Pinako’s eyes didn't dare tear away, but Eva's did as she mumbled an answer. "Four months..." the Alchemist tensed, preparing for a lecture, and a wrench to the chest.

Winry stopped at her response, clumsily putting bits of evidence together in her head. The superior officer, her size, them being secretive...

Four months...

The girl just didn't want to believe it. "E-Eva... is there something you need to tell me?"

Alphonse was the first to speak up, apologizing on her behalf. "It was a mistake, but we're taking care of things..."

"Not in my house you're not. What the hell do you two plan to do with a child? You can barely take care of yourselves. First you run off to the military to try and solve your problems, and now you come back with this. Don't think you're leaving it here with us!" As Pinako’s voice elevated, it seemed as if the Alchemist didn't care. Face stone cold, her expression was uneasy and unchanging. 

Truth be told, the elder was trying her best to keep a firm face through the whole thing as well. She’d raised them both for the longest time… but there was no way they’d be safe in her house, not with a baby. It was simply irresponsible to offer her house as a place for them to raise a child.

Evangeline didn't raise a word in her defense, and couldn't bare to look either in the eye. Still, Eva didn't apologize, and perhaps that's what hurt the most.

Al, on the other hand, was quick to speak up. “Please, Granny we need somewhere safe. You’re doctors, and we don’t really have any other family to go to. If we told teacher…” His voice trailed off. How would Izumi react? If Eva’s expression was any indication, she wasn’t exactly thrilled with that plan.

There was no denying what was going on now, but Winry was trying her best to be oblivious. No one said the word she felt drifting to the forefront of her mind, and that meant that there was a chance she was wrong, right? She had to hear it from Eva. That was the only way it would ever be true. She felt it surprisingly difficult to talk, her wavering voice pushing through the volume of the argument. "Eva... are you pregnant?"

She didn’t like that word. 

Eva still couldn’t bring herself to say it, but this time it was just as hard to apologize. The Alchemist looked to Roy, took in a breath, and brought herself to say two words she'd repeated time and again this week. "I'm sorry..."

The blue-eyed girl felt her heart drop. "N-no... you didn't answer. You just ap...ologized..." Her words were weak, and she sputtered a few times in attempting to get them out. The first buds of teardrops formed in the corners of her eyes. No… she couldn’t just start crying like this.

Eva could see it in Winry’s face...she'd finally disappointed someone with this…

If Al was disappointed by her situation, he hid it well. Calm and supportive, her brother was practically a rock when it came to what they were going through. Winry was breaking down right before her eyes. In a way, Eva was almost thankful...finally, someone was as betrayed by her actions as she was.

"D-do you think you can help me?" It was so much to ask, but they really were her only options. "You've got medical training, and you've always been there for me..." Eva shifted, looking back to her brother. Was she really resorting to begging? "I-I'm sorry."

Winry slowly got to her feet, ashamed of the tears now flowing from her eyes. For the first time in a long time, Winry found herself at a loss for words. She hurriedly walked out of the workshop, covering her crimson face, and making her way up the stairs. The pitiful sound of a door clicking shut followed.

Eva shook her head, reopening the eyes she didn’t realize she’d been holding shut to see who was left. Pinako and Winry had left, leaving Al and Roy in opposite corners of the room.

"Come on, Al..." she spoke softly, and though the tone of her voice didn't show it, Eva knew the mechanic needed him most. "Let's go."

“Sister… we can’t just leave. You know they’ll come around, they’re just shocked, is all.” Al’s tone was saccharine. He was trying to power through this too.

“Yeah, well maybe they don’t need to come around. We shouldn’t be here.” She’d just walked off… Eva pulled herself to her feet, examining her automail. Winry always managed to give her better than she deserved. Taking in a heavy breath, the alchemist staggered towards the door.

“You can’t just say that! They’re family, and besides that, where would we go? Once Colonel Mustang gets us our leave time we have to go somewhere!”

“Well it’s not gonna be here.” She settled the argument.

Where was she going?

Al followed along with Eva, although with a bit of resistance. He would have liked for them to go upstairs and find Winry, but the direction Eva was walking indicated anything but that. "S-sister, shouldn't we at least put the armor back on your leg?" Out the door they went, the inner mechanisms of her automail on display.

"Don't worry about that, this won't take long." Eva ignored any potential danger, even pushing past her superior officer. Whatever questions he'd have could wait. The sooner they got this mission taken care of, the sooner they could leave. Winry didn't need her coming back, that was for sure. "We're gonna go visit mom." She lied, starting out towards the door. "Don't think I need protection for that."

"But..." Roy could hardly get a word in before she closed the door behind her, heading out with her brother. All at once, Roy found himself left in a house he barely knew. The only sounds around him were those of creaky floors, and the gentle sounds of Winry's crying in the room above. Was this his fault? Still, he of all people knew what the Rockbell girl had been through. Perhaps it was guilt, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice in the matter. Roy let out a sigh and stalked up to her room. She at least deserved an explanation.

With the door pulled open, and that striking blue uniform, Winry expected to see her. But no...there he was. This man had taken so much from her already. Her parents, the Elrics, and now there was a chance she’d lose Eva for good. Why was it always Roy Mustang? The mechanic got right to the chase, "Let me guess," she sighed, and met his gaze with her own, "you're not just here as some sort of escort, are you?" If Eva wasn't going to be honest, perhaps he would.

He grabbed a chair from one end of her room, and sat it down before her as if he were giving her 'the talk.' There was a moment’s hesitation. "No... this is far from a normal mission. I... got Eva pregnant a few months ago, and we're trying to find someplace to hide her while she has the baby. We don't want to foist the child on you, we just need a good hiding spot." 

Hopefully his honesty would win a little bit of her sympathy. "There aren't many places we could've gone, and if the military found out about Eva..." He squeezed his eyes shut. No need to think about that.

She shook her head, took a deep breath, cleared a spot next to her on the bed and patted it. "She'll be killed, I know that..."

How selfish could she get? Of course Eva didn't want any of this...

For a moment the two sat in silence. Avoiding each other, letting dark thoughts get the best of them. Unbeknownst to either, however, they both kept drifting back to one idea neither could shake. They couldn’t manage to say it. This left Winry to break the silence.

The only one Eva did want was right in front of her. Did he know? "You don't deserve her..." Winry mumbled, silently hoping to hurt him.

Roy paused, Winry’s words felt well deserved. He allowed his eyes to drift to her level, staring into her blindingly blue irises for just a moment. "You don't think I'm self aware enough to know that?" He brought a hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.

If she was being honest with herself... 

"I don't deserve her either..." Here, Eva was in danger, and yet all she could think about was herself. When Eva asked for her help, she'd just walked away…

Winry patted the bed beside her once more, frowning. Clearly she wouldn't be saying anything more until he sat next to her.

Roy finally obliged, moving to sit next to her on the bed. In times like these, the Colonel longed for a drink...anything to take away whatever feeling had been gnawing at him since they’d arrived.

If she thought about it, Winry could almost laugh at the irony of it all. Of course it was his. Would she really have gotten close to anyone else? No, that wasn’t Eva. "Not that it matters. It's not me she fell for, and it was never going to be. I'm just surprised she got you to say yes, even if it was just one night."

The ring on his hand...had he proposed before or after they found out?

He looked at her, eyebrow raised for a moment before following her line of sight down to his hands. In a tizzy, the colonel attempted to pull the ring off of his finger. "Oh, no! No no no! You've got it wrong!" Marrying her would be absurd, right? "This ring is for something else... Eva and I are not getting married!" Finally getting his ring off, he fumbled to get it into his pocket. For the first time since he’d arrived Roy thought about Riza. She deserved better too.

"Listen, the... liaison... we had was something that only happened once. We were both drunk, and lonely, and... there was nothing more to it. She's having a baby, but that doesn't mean she's my lover." He sent a sideways glance her way. "I mean, she only talked about how much she wanted to see you on the way here." That wasn't a lie, but telling her that definitely felt like one.

Winry' hands bunched, and she brushed a strand of hair out of her face. All this time...how the hell was he that clueless? "You don't know, do you?" The mechanic shook her head, and took in a deep breath. Roy's expression displayed his ignorance well, it seemed it was up to her once again. "Eva's been in love with you for four years..." There was no denying it, and Winry's voice quaked as she spoke. It took a while for his expression to change, but the shock on his face was enough to make her smile - at least out of pity. “It started out small, I guess I always thought she’d get over it. She’ll never admit it, though… too stubborn.” 

As her words began to fade, the colonel’s mind began to race. If Winry’s last admission was a slap in the face, her latest one felt like a punch to the gut. Roy felt the wind knocked from his lungs, and it didn’t take long for him to begin to spiral. Sh-she what? "Did... did you say four years?" He bit into one of his knuckles, reflecting on his past interactions with the girl. She'd really given no indication of this for four years? Or maybe she had… Was that what that night was to her... the culmination of a nearly half-decade crush? All at once, a strange sort of guilt washed over Roy. He'd felt the same feeling when he was planning out Riza's wedding. If he continued to sit there, he might as well have exploded. "I... I've gotta see Eva then. Talk to her." Eyes glassy, he drifted to a standing position.

Before he could stumble down the stairs, Winry darted for the door, shutting it before he could leave. "W-wait...hey...I've got a few questions still! Who's the ring for? What were you going to do with the baby?”

"...Someone I shouldn't have lied to." Pushing her aside, he refused to answer the second question and opened the door. He climbed down the stairs, with Winry closely trailing behind him. "I have to go find her. I-I have to..." Approaching the front door, he turned to Winry. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted this to happen."

"Wait-" Winry scrambled after the soldier, immediately joining him outside. She caught her breath, slowly realizing what he meant. "Find her? Where the hell did she go?! It's the middle of the night!"

Roy didn't seem to be listening. Instead, the Colonel focused on the horizon, scanning the dark for any sign of her red coat

She wasn't wearing her coat. What was she wearing last?

"I thought you were here to protect her!"

"I am... I gotta find her." He walked in the vague direction of the abandoned laboratory. It was the only place she could possibly be. Winry was still following him. "Go home, please. I have to find her alone." He only turned back to her for a moment before marching once more in the direction of the lab, oblivious to the world around him. Knowing her, she was probably in a lot of trouble by now.

"You don't even know where you're going!" Roy was far taller than her, and it was hard to match his strides, but she kept up, ignoring his call for her to stay back. "Look, I'm not just gonna sit by and watch you take off into the night! You're not gonna do her any good like this, Colonel, we need to-"

Suddenly a figure emerged from the distance. Racing towards them at a breakneck pace, it seemed to only grow in size until finally they were able to identify it. "Alphonse!?"

When at last the panicked figures met, he could barely speak. "E-Eva's in trouble..." it was all he could get out before fear took the lot of them.

"Where!?" The colonel might as well have been psychic when it came to Eva. Of course she was in danger... it’d been at least ten minutes with her out of his sight. He grabbed Al's hand and allowed himself to be pulled further in the direction of the laboratory building, on the outskirts of Risembool.

Now that they were running, Winry had to give it her all to keep up. She was sweating profusely by the time they made it to the smallish building. Why was it she never exercised?

"We decided to sneak in," Alphonse explained as quickly as he could as he lead them to where she'd disappeared. "I told her it wasn't safe without me, and since I can't fit, I had to stay out here." 

The last time he'd been left behind like this, they'd nearly lost their lives. "She just took off without me.”

Something had to have happened. If this place was another government attempt to make the stone, every moment she was out of their sight was more dangerous than the last. Al gestured to the air duct his sister had taken off into. "The doors are armed, so she-" when Alphonse couldn't finish the second sentence either, he decided to let Roy come to his own conclusions. "She was supposed to come let me in. Something happened."

Roy squatted, appraising the air duct she'd gotten through. Although pregnant, she was still small enough to get into some pretty tight spaces. Still, there was no way his shoulders were gonna fit though that. He shifted his attention to Winry… just the twig he needed. "Hey, I'm going to need you to crawl in and open the door."

"B-but... didn't Eva get lost in there trying to do the same thing?" She took a few steps back.

That was a good point. Dammit! "Al, did you try calling for her through the vent shaft?"

Alphonse nodded, continuing on. "I called her...cased the building, but she never responded. It's been almost an hour!" At least it felt that way. He shook his head, already filing through a host of horrifying scenarios. "S-she's been gone too long."

There had to be another way in. The building wasn't that big, after all. No doubt they would be able to find an alternative. Dragging Winry and Al along with him, he tested the bits of the wall for any sort of weakness. Nothing, not even a window on the damn thing!

Winry could notice his growing impatience. Ever since he'd heard that Eva loved him, he'd grown frantic, and near senseless. She had to alleviate the madness somehow. "Mr. Mustang... do you think there might be a way in on the roof? We haven't looked there." She gestured to a dumpster which could easily be used as a stepping stone to the shaky tin roof.

The colonel lit up, and began to unsuccessfully try to hoist himself up the dumpster.

It didn't take long, however for them to reach the roof on their own. Alphonse - standing well above six feet tall - was able to nearly make it up to the roof with almost no effort. He gave the other two a lift to the top of the dumpster, and after a little creative thinking, he managed to make it up by their side. Sure enough, right as they made it to the highest level, the three found themselves faced with an entrance. 

Was it unusual for a building of this size and caliber to need a trap door like such? The way things were set up made the place appear like a lookout for the location. Something about it made Alphonse shudder. At least they had their way in.

There was a lock. Dammit. Roy grabbed at it and inspected. Dammit! The thing was solid... and didn't even look like it was that old. He let go, stood up, and began to stomp on the thing before Winry interjected.

"No! Wait!" She pulled a bobby pin from her hair and squatted down to the level of the lock. "Let a professional handle this. I always need more lock picking practice!" She hummed a happy tune in front of the shivering colonel for about half a minute before the little mechanism came undone. To Roy, it felt like a week. "There! He was a little tuffy, but nothing I couldn't handle!"

The second she finished her sentence, Roy threw open the door and lowered himself in.

Alphonse loomed over the opening, making sure the colonel got in without breaking something. It took him a moment to clamber down, but by the time he reached the dusty hall floor, Mustang had taken off. Something about this place didn't feel like lab five, but Alphonse couldn't put his fingers on why. Aside from the grime, place was sterile. White walls and empty hallways, the place truly was abandoned. Unfortunately, with every turn and door thrown open, his sister was nowhere to be seen.

Still, they only had to travel so far before hearing the faint sound of... hyperventilating? Turning on his heels in the direction of the sound, Roy threw open a few doors and abandoned any semblance of stealth he was trying to hang on to. As he closed in on the origin of the sound, a few frantic bangs made him break into a sprint. Slightly above the floor, Eva poked out of a ventilation shaft in the wall, stuck tight and squirming. Tears streamed down her face as she craned her neck to look up at him. At least she wasn’t in danger.

Winry and Al followed, only to double back in the realization of what was going on.

"Fullmetal, we're here." Roy spoke softly, squatting to her level "We'll get you out. Are you alright?"

She wasted no time in pulling the man close to her as possible in an embrace. Eva didn't speak at first, and her breaths only became more frantic now that they were eye to eye. Anyone else's footsteps, and she'd be dead, but here they were. She shook her head, held him tighter. “I can’t do this…”

Al examined the situation, but didn't need to say anything. Still, he had to wonder how she’d stuffed herself through. Given the sight before them, she was lucky to have made it that far. Winry, however, she didn't waste time in speaking her mind.

"You came here, pregnant and defenseless, and you decided to enter through a ventilation duct? Your life is on the line here! You can't just crawl anywhere you can fit your head like you used to! And how the hell did you get this big?!" She eyed the girl up and down, a thick layer of flab keeping her wedged in the opening. "You're only four months along, right? What the hell have you been eating? Do you know how dangerous this is? You're gonna be at risk enough given your height - you wanna throw weight on top of that? Not to mention the danger that puts the baby in."

"But... but, if the military can't tell-" Her lip quivered at the sight of Winry blowing up at her in a moment of weakness, but she didn't get the chance to finish before her mechanic took over.

"That's not how pregnancy works, Eva! You don't just get to eat whatever you want! You're responsible for another human being right now! How could you be so reckless?" Why the hell hadn't Al stepped in? Her hands shook with anger as she paced, her fingers pressing into the sides of her head.

Roy could feel the tears soak the shoulder of his jacket, but there was nothing he could do. Why was he always so useless?

Alphonse took Winry's arm, pulling her back a bit. He looked to his sister, and then to the mechanic. Eva hadn't stopped shaking since they'd found her. Al had to wonder how long she'd been here. She hadn't answered Roy's question. Al asked again. "Sister...are you okay?" 

“Laugh all you want…” She growled, still as teary as before, “It’s not like I can do anything about it…”

No one was laughing.

Roy had to get her out. He stood, took her arms and spoke as calmly as he could, given his own fear. “Alright, at the count of three I’m gonna pull you out, okay?”

Eva merely nodded.

Grabbing her arms, he tried to tug, but stopped abruptly when she let out a yowl. This was hurting her, and it was no use to keep pulling. Transmutation was the only way she was going to make it out. He shifted to her level, the colonel plunged his hand into his jacket pocket, only to pause. Fuck! "Al... Winry... I need you to get me something to draw with. I don't have my chalk with me." Roy regretted that he relied on his gloves so much, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

The armored Elric nearly leapt at his words, "Yes sir!" and though Winry was ready to argue, it didn't take long for Al to lead her away. It was gonna be hard to find their way back after all of their running. 

Eva shifted, but didn't look him in the eye. She pulled away from his embrace, and scanned the hallways for danger. "You were right, okay?" she mumbled. The Alchemist's speech was almost incoherent, but at least she’d calmed down. Unfortunately, she never let on to what she was referring to.

At the end of the day, there was no one else she could blame for any of this. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Eva, given the circumstances, you’ve been doing the best you can…” It was a weak response, but he wanted so desperately to tell her something uplifting.

She shook her head, scoffing at his words. Though she was still in tears, bits of her old self seeped into the conversation. “Look at me…” she challenged, “Do you really think this is what’s best? Winry’s right.” At least when it came, the baby would go to someone that would be able to take care of it. 

Roy shook his head, frowning. “I never said this was the best… All I said was you were doing your best.” He shifted closer to her, and continued. “You’ve had to go through so much. The ban on women, not knowing about the baby for four months, and that’s only the start.”

“Guess that goes to show I’ve got no business having kids.” she laughed, wiping away a stray tear. “First life I manage to create, and I don’t even get to be a part of it.”

Roy looked to her, feeling the pain as well. In another life, would he be fine with raising this child? Did...did she want the baby? Given the situation, it didn't seem logical, but with the way she was talking...

"Eva, do you want to keep it?" It only took one look to give him his answer, "I can make that happen..." That was a lie, but he'd be damned if he didn't at least try to make it reality.

“It doesn't matter what I want…” 

Roy's eyes met with hers, and he hoped for a moment that somehow… they could raise it together. He pulled her into another tight hug.This was the girl that'd had a crush on him for four years... that number kept on bouncing around in his head. Should he tell her he knew? How did he even feel towards her? Assessing himself, he definitely knew he was fond of her…

This time her words were muffled not by tears or stifled by her breath; but by his chest. As the Colonel shifted, sitting down by her side, she couldn't help but admit it. "It's my fault I'm pregnant." 

It was the first time she'd said the word aloud, and something about it felt almost relieving…

A part of her hoped he hadn't heard, but there was another part - perhaps the same part that hoped he'd remember that morning almost 15 weeks ago - that hoped he had.

In that moment, Roy either giggled or cried, though he couldn't tell which. "You can't say that... that's not how pregnancy works. " A sputter, he spent a few moments catching his breath. Why was he so emotional? "It's my fault too. You can't just take the blame for this." They spent a few minutes in silence, embracing in the dark. He never wanted this to happen to her. He cared for her too much.

Cared for her…

"N-no I mean..." Eva's words came down faster than she could control, and secrets she'd kept bottled up for far too long soon found their way out, "I-I wanted you, and I'd never done that with someone I wanted before. It had to mean something!" 

“Eva… I’d be lying if I told you that night didn’t mean anything to me. I’ve done nothing but think about it for the past few months; what it meant, how you felt about it, where it went from there…”

For as long as she'd lived, Eva never thought he'd know, but things came crashing down rather quickly when she finally let them go. "I love you, and I'm sorry for everything. It's my fault." It was always her fault. Al was her fault…Hughes was her fault...

Mom was her fault…

Roy shook a bit at her admission of love... even though he knew. 

She’d actually said it to him.

Finally made something click in his denial ridden mind. He cared for her...

Taking a breath, he shifted backwards to look her in the eyes. It was as if her admission had turned her into a goddess. "I-I wanted you too. It's not your fault... I..." He took a breath, his eyes drifting towards her lips. "I love you too."

Eva felt her breath catch at his words. 

She didn’t believe him, Roy could tell...

He leaned in and planted his lips on hers. It was meant to be a short kiss, something impulsive and in the moment. As he tried to pull back, he felt Eva's hand behind his head, keeping his lips locked to hers. It lasted for both a long and short time, before she relaxed her grip and the Colonel almost fell back, awestruck.

In that moment her attention snapped from the man in front of her to something she'd never given a second thought to. There was really something alive in there… Eva’s breath caught for a moment as the realization washed over her. 

"It's moving..."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Love...

Was this what they had?

Roy sat next to Eva, enthralled and exhausted as if they'd just relived the night in the hotel all over again. Together, they sat in silence, their only acknowledgement of each other's existence the occasional mutual sigh. Where did they even go from here?

"Hey," he ventured, hoping to lighten the mood without abandoning the topic, "If you got to name the kid... what would you give it?"

Evangeline didn't like to think about names. Hell, the fact that it was moving made it hard to pretend it wasn't real. The less human it seemed, the easier it was to detach. She’d never been good at this stuff anyway. "Do you really think I could come up with a good name?" She scoffed at the idea, avoiding the question all together. "Nah...I'm not good at things like that...you'd have to pick..."

She shouldn't have said that…

"I-I mean...whoever takes her is gonna come up with something a hell of a lot better than I could think of! There's no point in giving it a name, ya know?" The muscles in her face tensed into an artificial smile. Similar to her own body, it was large and fooled no one.

Roy chuckled and shook his head. He desperately wanted a cigarette, even though he rarely smoked. "C'mon! You've never thought about what you'd name your kids? Say there was a way you could keep it, wouldn't you want something nice to call it?" He wasn't going to let up until some of the pressure she was under had been alleviated. "I can tell you what I think, if you tell me."

It took some thought, but after a moment, Eva burst into a fit of laughter. "Edward's the only name I ever really liked, but I can't exactly give it that name anymore, now can I? Chose that name for myself."

All the names she ran through had associations…

Maes...Nina...Trisha...

Somehow it didn't seem right naming it after them. Their lives were their own, no need to focus their legacy onto someone new. "Alice?" Perhaps naming it after her brother was nice enough.

Roy grinned, wider than he had in a long time. "That's sweet... I'm sure Al would love that." He tapped on his temple with a few fingers in thought. "I guess I have to come up with a few, right?" The colonel wasn't much for naming kids after people, he figured that new ones deserved their own names. "If it was a guy, I'd have to go with Adrian... a girl, maybe Emily?" He scrunched his face in thought before nodding. "Yeah, Emily. It's a bit boring, but flexible, you know?"

"Adrian?" It had been a long time since she'd heard that name. "Back when we were kids, I got in a fight with an Adrian. Al gave him some flowers, and the jerk decided to rip'em up, so beat him to a pulp." She laughed, and stretched a bit within her confines, and yawned, her stomach growling. How long had it been since they'd eaten?

"I wonder whatever happened to that guy. Sure as hell isn't a famous state Alchemist. I know that much." Eva snickered at the thought, gaining a little self confidence for the moment. This felt good.

Roy snorted. "Well damn. I didn't know there was trauma there... I suppose I'll have to come up with another name if you do have a boy, God forbid." 

He shared a look with her, long enough to put an idea in his head. "Say we found a way to get out of here, as in out of the country, or at least away from the public eye. Would you want to give this kid one of those names?" He tried to laugh a bit to break up the tension, but her expression was a sign the mood was unalterably changed.

The Alchemist froze at his suggestion, and for a moment, she considered his idea. In truth, Eva wanted a new start. If she could find a way to get Al's body back without the military, maybe they could...

But then, what about Roy’s goals? It wasn't like she knew what she was doing. 

"I just want to give it the life I never got, and it's got a better shot at that if I'm not involved."

Emily was a nice name, though, and that was worth smiling about.

Roy couldn't help but wince. That was self deprecating... even by his standards. But why wouldn't she feel that way? "Eva... can you give yourself some credit? You're really bumming me out." He inched slightly closer to her, offering his hand for her to take. "If I was in your position... I wouldn't have been able to handle it. You've managed to get through so much, and you'd make an excellent mother if that's what you really wanted to do." The corner of his mouth perked up in a half-smile.

But when Roy turned back, he found her in tears again. She took his hand, squeezed it tightly. "Everything I've done since the transmutation, has been for Alphonse. I owe him that much after what happened. Automail, the military, our search for the stone..." Eva had to laugh at the irony of it all. "First time I do something for myself it puts my life on the line. I don't know what I was expecting."

She chose her next words carefully. If it was just a spur of the moment declaration he wouldn't say it again, right?

"Do you really love me?"

Roy tilted his head towards her. "Of… of course! I do love you.” That part was easy enough, but did he need to say more? It felt like he did. “I just want things to get better for the both of us." He sighed. Was that ever going to happen? "It’s not like I could admit to something like that, especially when I learned who you really were. There was too much to lose, and besides," They both made eye contact, out of the corner of his vision. "...I never knew you even cared for me until today."

Eva managed a laugh. "Yeah, I got pretty good at hiding it. Though, I have to admit your stupid orders made it pretty easy. You really piss me off sometimes."

This was met by a conceding nod from the Colonel. That meant he was doing his job.

She took in a breath and squeezed his hand tighter, "Ya know, Emily would work with either of our last names..." she tested it out, a smile creeping across her face, "Emily Elric... I like that."

"Well... I guess that's half of the problem solved, then." He internally cheered that she liked a name that he'd suggested. "I think Elric'd work better. Emily Mustang's alright, but it’s not Emily Elric." It was funny to think that she went from disowning the child to talking about which last name she’d prefer in a single conversation. Ideas flashed across his mind. "I really mean it... what if we found a way to get out of the country, and find a safe place to raise the child? Wouldn't that be better than what we have now?"

"You wanna be Fuhrer, right?" She asked, though the tone in her voice betrayed her. "Kinda hard to do that from Xing..."

Eva unconsciously rubbed her fingers over his, her eyes going wide. "You took your ring off?" She'd almost forgotten about Riza.

Roy jumped. She'd noticed that? "Well... Winry thought it was an engagement ring for you... and..." he stopped himself, looking at her confused expression. "Look, you deserve to know the truth. I said yes to Riza because I was scared." And because he wanted an emotion sponge to cry into every night... "If I actually went through with this... neither of us would be happy." He rubbed at his temples. Any more goddamn honesty and he was fit to burst.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and part of her felt selfish for that. She had to come clean.

"I've been in love with you for four years." Eva let her thought sit for a moment before she found the right words. "I think it started as admiration. I'd never met someone so strong and focused. You found me at my lowest, and taught me to keep moving forward." Four years ago...had it really been that long? "I convinced myself that if I hated you enough, it'd cancel out, ya know? But I guess I never could bring myself to that."

Eva thought for a moment. "Don't get me wrong, you still piss me off..."

“Come on, admit it. You’d hate it if I didn't press your buttons. I'm a superior officer, after all, someone in this military’s gotta keep you in check." He chuckled, inching still closer to her. "Regardless, I've had feelings for you for quite some time. I'd be hard pressed to beat your four year record... but it's been long enough, I suppose." Six months was 'quite some time,' right?

To tell her that it was that recent felt a little embarrassing. Best to keep it vague.

Eva grabbed his legs, and swept them beneath her for support. It was getting harder to keep up on her arms alone. She yawned, and lay across his lap - it was even harder to stay awake. "You'd really be happy spending the rest of your life with me?"

She couldn't… could she? Al needed her more, and... and Roy had to change the country.

At the very least, she had to know if he’d stay.

He leaned inwards, pulling her into another deep kiss. It must have lasted for quite some time, indeed, because by the time they pulled away, staring moonstruck into each other's eyes, Winry dejectedly dropped a pile of chalk in his lap. 

"I take it you finally told him. Took you long enough." She was slowly getting used to their state of affairs, and trying to be accommodating. Eva'd been through enough already.

Alphonse's voice held the same cheery quality it always did when he was proven right. "And you said he didn't care about you..."

Eva took a deep breath, mumbling an off handed "Yeah, yeah. I don't need to hear it. Just get me outta' here so we can survey this place and get home." 

Alphonse nodded, clearly pleased with this development. "Granny's gonna make some stew. It should be ready by the time we get back." They were lucky she'd been so willing to make it, given how late it was. 

Eva looked to Roy, and anxiously brought up a subject she'd been hesitant to mention. "I'm not gonna have to put this on my report, am I?"

Roy snickered as he took a piece of chalk and began drawing a circle on the wall. "Upon entry to the facility, I encountered a critical surplus in my girth. I then proceeded to kiss the infinitely charming and ever-vigilant colonel, who then freed me from the accursed tiny vent." He giggled as he finished a few lines, checked the circle over, and clapped his hands to the wall.

“I-is that a ‘no’ or…?”

The whole thing slowly shifted, expanding forward so that Eva was moved from where she’d been pinned to sitting on a chair fashioned from the wall. Roy looked quite pleased with himself.

He was showboating...

Typical. 

The Alchemist rolled her eyes, an ever present blush bright on her face. She nearly tripped over herself in coming to her feet, but Eva started away.

Winry had been right about her leg, though. It didn't feel right. "Let's get this over with. I wanna go home."

Al scurried after her, still anxious about the situation. "Can't we just come back in the morning?"

Winry instantly squatted down to look at the leg. "You left... without putting the faceplate on..." she dragged a hand down the length of her face, and then stood up. "Look at what you did! You got dirt in between my joints! I'm gonna have to take off and clean this whole leg!" The mechanic fluttered around Eva like an angry bird.

"It was supposed to be an in and out thing." Eva groaned, massaging the bridge of her nose with a huff. "Crawl in, get Al, inspect this stupid empty building, and we'd be back before anyone noticed." 

Alphonse shifted, as if ready to protest, but kept quiet as the other two had their say.

"A stupid, empty, dirty building!" Winry added. "The plate goes on with four screws... four! You couldn't have put it on without covering it first? And another thing..." She caught herself, looking at the faces of the people around her. It really wasn't the time to chide Eva.

Roy walked ahead, taking the time to look around the compound. "Limb damage aside, we came here to check this place out."

The building had seemed so much bigger when she was stuck, but now, each hall lead into the next. Alphonse had to reason that they were finally less panicked, and were seeing the structure for what it really was. Unfortunately for the group, it wasn't a pretty sight.

Aside from a few medical chambers, the place was made up of several storage units, and at the heart of everything stood several rooms that couldn't be described as anything less than holding cells. There was no question in her mind what this place had been used for. Eva put a hand to her mouth, willing herself to keep whatever remained in her stomach where it belonged. 

"It's a chimera lab..." Alphonse deduced.

They'd all come to the same conclusion. Where were the experiments?

Roy made his way through the different sections of the building, each of them filling him with a bit more disgust. All of the cells, the medical instruments strewn about the floor and tables, and a... a birthing chair? Were they actually trying to breed the chimeras?

Eva, meanwhile, stepped to the center of the room, metal creaking beneath her feet. 

Winry felt herself lost as people began to meander about the building, and so she gravitated towards Eva. "So... whatcha doing?"

The alchemist nearly leapt out of her skin at that voice. This place didn't seem right, but she kept up a facade of confidence, dropping to her knees. "This thing's hollow. I don't know what's in here, but I'm finding out."

The sheet of metal proved much heavier than anticipated...

In another section of the compound, Al. Each cell came equipped with a little cot, and the bare minimum when it came to sanity amendments. Still...he couldn't help shake the idea. "What if we stayed here for the time we get? It's close to home, and it doesn't look like it gets much traffic. Whatever's here is gone, and we have whatever equipment we'd need when the baby comes..."

Eva shuddered at the thought. That wasn’t happening.

Roy popped his head back in the room, only hearing that last bit. "Not a chance... this building's scheduled to be destroyed after the investigation." Honestly, it felt sketchy to him that the military would be so adamant to destroy the place...

He was greeted by the sight of Winry and Eva working together to pull a panel off of the floor. Using their combined strengths, they managed to shift the metal cover out of the way. A pit?

With the hatch pulled open, and nothing but the abyss staring back at them, Eva leaned inwards to see what secrets the cavity could hold. It seemed as if she could fall in at any moment. 

Or now.

Something snapped in Eva's leg, and her stomach leaped into her throat as she almost plunged into the blackness. Had it not been for Winry's grip on her arm, she'd have tumbled down into the hole.

The unathletic engineer struggled to keep her up, but managed to do so in a burst of adrenaline. The two fell back in a heap, Eva laid out safely across her lap like a warm blanket. Winry whispered a quick "Oh, thank God" while hugging the alchemist from behind. 

“I-It’s just a few feet deep, Winry. I’m not gonna-” The girl pulled her closer, as if this were the last time she’d get to hug her. She rested her chin on Eva’s shoulder, which allowed her to look at her leg. 

It was in that moment that tenderness gave way to frustration, with Winry shifting herself down to the leg and checking over it. "Ugh... the ligaments in the knee finally gave out. This is the kind of thing I was trying to prevent!" She unsuccessfully tried to fix it with her fingers before throwing up her hands. "I'm not gonna be able to fix this without my tools."

"B-but I can still walk, right?" Eva didn't want to think about the alternative. She'd spent enough time in this hellhole, and waiting for her to come back with tools would be unbearable.

As Alphonse rounded the corner, he couldn’t help but relax a little. It was a relief to see they weren't at each other's throats anymore. Still, something had happened, and Al knew when he was needed. "Is everything alright here?"

Winry groaned, shaking her head. "There's no way you’re gonna be able to, your knee's a limp noodle right now. You'd only-" 

Before she could even finish her sentence, Roy interrupted pulling Eva into his arms. The alchemist could barely get a word of protest in before accepting defeat. He’d have to carry her back.

"Fullmetal, was there any other place you wanted to check?"

Eva stuttered over her words, once she’d fully processed the situation, "I-I think we've seen everything." She couldn't take her eyes off the pit. What the hell could they have kept down there?

Everything about this place seemed wrong...

"We can always come back tomorrow, if we need to." Alphonse suggested, though his sister didn't seem to embrace the idea. 

"Look, I've been stuck here long enough. Let's head home and forget about this stupid dump." Roy had said this place was gonna be demolished, right? That alone didn't seem right…

He looked to her, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he bathed her in the warm glow of a smile. A genuine smile, one that he couldn't help but make. Knowing what he knew about Eva now, she seemed almost…

Something was different, but Roy couldn’t put his finger on what. Was this how Hughes was when he fell for Gracia? "Yeah... let's go home."

Although both their burdens were still quite heavy, the weight off their shoulders was enough to make them feel buoyant.


	19. Chapter Eighteen

If this was how Hughes felt about his wife, how was he going to feel when it came? The more he thought about it, the more he found himself growing attached to the idea of a child. His love for Eva only amplified the sentiment, and over the course of a dinner at the Rockbell's, he found himself craving a normal life where he could start a family. This, of course, was greatly disturbing to the aspiring fuhrer. Would this get in the way of his plans for the country? In any other situation, him having a family might have actually helped him climb the ranks, but this was definitely not one of those times.

Winry stared across the table at the silent and glassy eyed colonel. "Mr. Mustang... are you going to get anything to eat?"

Roy broke out of the trance, and immediately motioned to put some of the stew in his bowl. "Of course, of course." His eyes fixed themselves upon Eva, who seemed to be in the midst of a similar dumbfounded daze.

Staring deep into stew she'd barely touched, the Alchemist struggled to keep herself awake. With everything that happened today, Eva found herself craving nothing more than a good night's sleep. Or...morning's sleep? What time was it anyway? She yawned, gulped down one spoonful, and quickly returned to her stupor. Unfortunately, despite thoughts of rest, and irritation, something else began to cloud her mind. 

Thoughts of escape...

Thoughts of mortality...

And a single name she'd never considered:

'Emily'

With an uncomfortable silence looming over the group, Alphonse had to ask. "So...Colonel, you got us the time right?" He'd promised they'd secure it when they arrived. Surely he'd made good on his word.

He nodded, choking back a yawn of his own. "After this mission, Ed is to be given recovery time due to stress induced alchemy failure." He smiled, turning his attentions to Eva. "When you do get back, you'll have to take a physical, mental, and alchemical test to reactivate your state alchemist status, but it was the only way I could give you an indefinite amount of time off with few questions asked."

She stared into her bowl...

Al shared a concerned glance with her mechanic, but nonetheless, was thrilled to have an answer. "Thanks, sir..." Now they just needed to figure out where they'd take refuge. In terms of security, he had another question at the front of his mind. Given what they'd walked in on, it'd make sense if... "Are you going to be going with us? We could definitely use the support."

Pinako slapped a spoon down in front of the alchemist's face, swiping up the stew pot in the process. She wasn't about to let that stand. "Eat. I didn't make this stew for myself, Ev' - and I sure as hell didn't make it for him." She gestured to the Colonel, and started towards the kitchen.

Eva slouched, sighed, and did her part. It seemed no one at the table was eager to take things further. Everyone stared at something or someone; lost in thought, and terrified to admit their own fears. The only thing that was present were the uncomfortable clinking sounds of silverware on dishes, and the sound of everyone’s chewing. They stared into their meals, all except for Roy, whose eyes were drawn to hers. Gold… would the baby have her eyes or his?

After living so long with an Eva that scarfed down food when upset, her picking at her meal was an alien sight for everyone involved. Roy broke his focus away from her, suddenly realizing he’d been questioned. "I wish I could, but a commanding officer leaving for six months would look a bit peculiar. People have their suspicions about Eva and I already, so I wouldn't want them to look into it." Happy to talk about something he had put thought into, he leaned back in his chair. "Besides, I need the time at work. I'm going to give you some cash to work with once you get back."

“Cash?” For what? It wasn’t like they were low on funds. With a salary like Eva’s, the Elrics were able to live comfortably. Heck, Roy of all people would know that, right? 

“Sir...that’s not necessary,” Alphonse started, dismissing the idea outright, “We’ll be fine without compensation. You’ve done enough for us already.” 

“Oh, no, no. I have to give you something to help with the emergency costs.” He rested one hand over the other and leaned inwards, as if he were making a business deal. “And besides, I think your sister should decide on whether she needs the money or not.” Roy knew she’d refuse, and he’d most likely end up sneaking it into her leave pay, but it was a nice thought.

Having moved on from brooding, Eva now began to fiddle with her temporary prosthetic. Stupid leg… she’d always hated having to lug this hunk of junk around. Unfortunately, as it stood, this was all she had. Still, having heard their discussion, she decided to speak up. “Just the cost to repair my leg...I don’t need any of your charity, you’ve helped us enough.”

Looked like he’d have to sneak it into her pay.

Winry sighed. Eva spoke about giving it up for adoption, but this man seemed like he wanted to keep it.

"Oh right!" He'd almost forgotten. Had it been any earlier, he may have approached the subject with more tact, but as it stood, they were running out of time. "Speaking of helping, Eva and I were hoping you and Riza could take it. We want the baby to have a safe home, and if you took it, we'd get the chance to visit. I know it's a little early to think about kids, but you're the best chance we've got at-"

“Well, actually there’s gonna be a problem with that.” Roy protested. “It’s good in theory, but I’ve recently come to terms with a few things, and I can’t go through with the marriage. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone involved. We’ll have to find someone else to take the baby.” Saying that was easy enough, but was he actually ready to part with it?

“No we won’t.” Eva huffed, dropped her spoon and gulped down what remained in her bowl. With her place cleared, and having drawn complete attention, she stood up, and made an announcement before heading to join Pinako in the kitchen. "I'm keeping the baby.” She didn’t get far…

Pinako was in front of her in an instant, grabbing her chin and pulling the girl to stoop to her level. “Now, which idea made you think that was a good plan, Ev'? Was it sleeping with your boss? What about trying to hide the truth behind a layer of fat?” None of her ideas had been particularly good ones, and now she was gonna throw another on top of that? It seemed without everyone else here to keep things from going south, she’d have been killed long ago. “Think rationally, here. Even if you were able to work around the situation, that kid’s gonna come out looking like the two of you, and you’ll both go down for that.” 

Roy observed Eva pull Pinako’s hand off of her face and march away, but it all seemed to be happening behind a layer of glass. He was already being crushed under the weight of what Pinako said. The very act of being near Eva and this kid was going to end up hurting them. He was quite used to the spotlight, but the range of different pressures Winry, Al, and Pinako were pressing him with were unbearable. Deciding to do the sensible thing, he followed Eva before their stares melted through his face.

By the time Roy reached her room, and through the cracks in the door, he could hear her again. Familiar sounds of a struggle, and the resigned sigh he'd come to be used to in his time at her side. The Colonel couldn't be surprised at the sight anymore. Eva had cast off a pair of old pajama pants she'd grown accustomed to staying in, and hit the lights as soon as the door swung open. It was seven in the morning, and again, she was all he could think about. 

With her head in a pillow, Eva's words were muffled. 

“Im na’ figh th’ military.”

Was she talking to him, or just thinking aloud? Before he could figure it out, Eva shot up, glared, and lay down on her back. "Shut the door, will ya? I'm not gonna get any sleep with them talking about me like that."

Before Roy could speak, there was a moment of silence, filled only by the voices below. The one that spoke first could only belong to Alphonse.

"I'm sorry I let this happen. I should have gone with them on that mission." He sounded somber. In listening to his words, Eva could only slip further into the hate she'd become accustomed to showing herself. 

Pinako's voice came next, though muddled behind the sound of rain. It was going to storm. "You did the best you could. It's not like you're her keeper." There was a pause, and Eva came to the conclusion granny was taking a breath from her pipe. "I can't say I'm surprised, that girl just goes without thinking. I get that you need to help her… but perhaps she needs someone besides you now? It’s not good for you to keep taking responsibility for everything."

Al's next words immediately made her regret her own. "I know."

Eva propped herself up on one of her old pillows, and pulled her legs to her chest. Even with the door open she'd almost forgot he was still there.

"What do you want?"

Scanning her over, he could tell she was a little put out. A small voice told Roy he shouldn't have come, but he pushed it to the back of his mind, and forced himself to admit it. It seemed their confessions weren’t going to be stopped any time soon. "We just told each other that we were in love. And, ehh..." he hesitated, taking a breath, “I want to keep the baby too.”

There was a bit of silence between the two of them, which allowed a muffled "-have to stay with her, she's my sister" to seep up from the floor below, but Al’s words didn’t even register. Eva looked over to the Colonel, trying to determine if he’d said what she’d heard. Roy was cold, he was rational. There was no way he’d really-

But then he continued on…

“I’m going to find a way to get us to safety. I know a bit of Xingese, and have a few military connections to get us over there. Al said you wanted to run, and we both could. Well, we’d have to, really.” He spoke with exaggerated calm, as if he’d done this a hundred times before. “We could start a new life.”

“We don’t have to start a new life.” Eva determined, coming to terms with his confession rather quickly. There was a fire in her eyes that seemed almost frightening. He’d seen her like this before. With a look like that, Roy could only reason that she’d been thinking things through for a while. Most likely something dangerous. “I’m gonna fight this,” she proclaimed, “and not like I have before. We’re smarter than that, besides, I think I’ve got something. We just have to come forward…”

The Colonel sat for a moment with his mouth agape. “Are you serious? That’s nothing but suicide.” He caught himself, trying to organize all of the red flags in his mind for a stubborn girl to understand. “Do you think the military would actually let something like that happen? They’d wipe you from existence.”

“So what!? You’d rather I walk my ass across a hot, empty desert? How long’s that gonna take?” Eva sighed, yawned, and stretched. “If we come forward, I can get a following. I’ve got enough publicity at my back - you really think the public would let me die?”

“I’m saying it’s got nothing to do with the public. You’d die anyway.” His face was a grimace. “The military’s been able to cover up everything since the massacre in Ishbal. Why do you think the public outcry was so small when people started dying by the thousands? Why do you think no one cares about the executions? Diana? Hedwig? Celise?” 

“Well, how the hell is that death sentence any better than yours? You really think I’m gonna survive a trip like that? What happens if the baby comes out in the middle of nowhere? I could barely handle the pressure when it was Gracia’s kid.” Eva scowled, and took a deep breath - it was kicking again. 

“At least we’ll be able to handle it on our own terms.” Roy was growing a bit more flustered. Did she really just want to charge head-on, straight into death? “We’d have a better chance of getting out of all of this if we left. You of all people should know how much of a grasp the military has on this country.” Was she blind to all the ways in which they were caught in the system?

Only then did he notice the fatigue in her eyes. They’d been up long enough, that was certain. Still, Eva stared back at him, just as focused. Nothing he ever said managed to sway her. The alchemist opened her mouth to defend her word, but instead only yawned again, mumbling a quiet, “Fuck off…it’s a damn good idea, and you know it...” 

She had no idea what she was getting herself into, he knew that for sure. He could detect a heated discussion about different places Eva could hide beneath the floorboards. Was he even needed if she was going to do something like this? It’d be a death sentence for the both of them.

“I’ve seen the military at work. You can’t just testify against them.” His teeth were bared. “Fullmetal, I’ve already come close to losing you before, I’m not about to let that happen again.” 

Eva groaned. That was exactly something he would say. “Look, we don’t have to make any decisions tonight, okay?” She ran a hand through her braid, making it sloppier than it already was in the process. The alchemist stretched, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him down onto the bed. It seemed, though, that ‘tonight’ may have been a misnomer. As the weight of her tiredness became too much to bear, the sunlight pounded through her eyelids, turning her vision orange. A sigh of irritation, and she turned to face the wall. 

“Let’s just get some rest...you’ve gotta admit, we’re not gonna be any good to this kid if we can’t think straight.” 

He hadn’t planned on sleeping next to her, but it was certainly welcome. Still, it would have been nice if she’d let him take of his uniform first. He got up, much to her protests, pulling off his jacket, shirt, and boots. The second boot came off with a clumsy THUD, and he wobbled in place for a moment. Damn, how long had it been since he’d last slept?  
Falling back into both the bed and Eva’s arms was a no-brainer.

She felt a momentary twinge before relaxing. They’d been here before... 

Eva let out a breath and settled into his arms. Maybe he’d be able to get the baby to rest. She gripped his hand, guiding it around her midsection, and pulled it to her stomach. For something so small, she sure was tenacious. “Not even born yet, and she’s ready to fight…” she laughed, snuggling into the blankets, and allowing herself to be enveloped further into Roy’s embrace. 

“So she’s a girl now, is she?” He gave a breathy laugh as he ran his fingers across her belly, feeling subtle movements of life beneath the surface.

“Her name’s Emily,” Eva retorted, her legs intertwining with his. “She’s a girl until she tells me otherwise.”

Roy giggled a bit, his mouth forming a sharp curve as his tired eyes filled with a few tears. Here he was, in bed with the girl he loved, their baby on the way, and with only the present to consider.

He wanted it to last forever, and held her just a bit tighter knowing they could lose it all. 

Just before drifting to sleep, three words left her lips. He’d heard them before... but perhaps in this moment they meant more than they ever had. 

The Colonel blinked back tears, shut his eyes, and kissed the back of her neck. 

“I love you too.”


	20. Chapter Ninteen

Roy found sleep for the first time in months that night. Despite fears of loss, frantic bargaining, and the sunbeams on his eyes, he found himself surprisingly rested. When they finally awoke, neither wasted time on fighting over which plan to take. Having convinced the rest that his plan was the only way, Colonel Mustang and trio took off towards central.

There were bags to pack, and strings to pull, if they were gonna pull this off. Eva was armed with a gun - a last resort, sure, but Roy felt comfort in knowing she'd be able to defend herself.

Never before had these streets seemed more threatening, and with fate looming the four travelers had to rely on the comfort of each other. Unfortunately no one seemed quite apt at reassurance, but as Roy soon found, even Eva's presence was enough to calm his nerves. Considering her affect on him before things went south, Roy could only wonder why it'd taken so long to get things right.

"I just need to grab a few things from our apartment." She'd insisted. "Sentimental stuff. Besides, I've got Al and Winry with me." He remembered Winry staring daggers at him, her arms crossed. Why she came, he had no clue. 

Eva's blood on his hands...

Roy couldn't seem to shake the thought.

"Just be back in thirty minutes with your things, and we'll be good to go." If Eva was fazed, she hid it well. She had a tight smile pasted on her face, and spoke in a saccharine chirp. 

Perhaps he was just hearing what he wanted to hear, or seeing what he wanted to see? Her military uniform was almost big enough to conceal everything, but here in central, they were sitting ducks.

He needed a drink. He needed to get her out of here. Four minutes of waiting just to make sure they were okay - he could get his things after that. 

She was going to be okay. They both were.

After four minutes, Roy took a swig from one of his flasks, wiped his mouth, and sped towards Riza's place.

This was it. With the car stalled, and festering anxiety, Roy let out a heavy breath as he approached the door. It seemed as if luck was finally on his side. She wasn't home, that alone would buy him some time. Roy pulled the door open, steadied himself, and started for the stairs.

What the hell were they even going to need? In his time in the military, the Colonel had been sent clear across the country before, but leaving Amestris was another game entirely. Aside from his uniforms he didn't have many clothes, and as for personal items...

It was almost daunting how little he actually had. Roy had to wonder if it had always been this way...

Sure, he didn't have family, but he hid ties in other people and places. As Roy tore up the house, however, he found only one picture he wanted to keep. Surely his team meant something. 27 years, and what did he have to show for it? Fields of blue uniforms and a meaningless rank?

Why did everything he owned fit in a suitcase six inches deep? 

Still, Roy gripped it tight, and made his way down the stairs.

Rounding the corner, he practically jumped back at the sight of his fiancé. She must have been caught off guard as well, because her gun was nearly halfway out of her holster by the time she registered it was him. 

"Roy! I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I didn't know you'd be back so soon, but I'm glad you are!" She gave him a quick kiss, standing on the tips of her toes to reach his stagnant face. "It was disappointing that they'd put you on duty right after our engagement." 

She noticed his suitcase. "You must be tired after traveling back... do you want me to put your stuff back while you rest? I'd expect you to do the same for me, after all." She snickered, pleasant creases forming on her cheeks as she laughed.

The Colonel sputtered, but held on to his suitcase. There was no getting around it, he had to be honest. 

"Lieutenant," Riza flinched at his words, but he had to keep going. She'd be hurt if she knew, and if not... "I'm leaving Amestris.”

Her smile faded a bit. "What do you mean by that?" His words had a sort of finality to them that implied that he was not leaving on another military excursion. "What's going on, Roy? Why are you leaving?" And why wasn't he calling her by her name anymore? 

The lieutenant seemed to grow closer, her probing eyes angry that they didn't know what was going on.

His heart was caught in his throat, but Roy pushed through it, repeating her title. "Lieutenant, I'm sorry. Eva's-" that was the wrong name to use wasn't it? "Edward's in trouble, I don't have time to explain. I can't stay here. I'm sorry." 

He started towards the door, but found himself caught in her path once more.

Her teeth were clenched as she bore into Roy a little deeper, driving him back. "Cut the crap, 'colonel.' There's something more to this." Over the years, she'd gotten used to tuning out Mustang's lies. But not today. "Just tell me what's going on here? Why do you keep calling Ed 'Eva'?"

"Kurt Hess." Perhaps the name enough would work, but as Riza's eyes widened the man knew for certain she wouldn't need more. Riza was perceptive, if she hadn't put the pieces together already she was about to.

"Fuck... I'm so stupid!" She blurted, "Why didn't I see that." The lieutenant paced around the room, adding up all the things that had happened since she knew 'Ed'. "That's why you suspended her for four months! She would have been caught!" 

Contrary to the colonel's expectations, she smiled even wider after the shock finally wore off. "This is dangerous, and pointless, and... I support you in doing this for her. A girl that talented needs to be recognized and helped as much as possible." She kissed Roy again, on the lips this time. "Take all the time you need to help her. I'll keep your your crew in line for the meantime."

With Roy's mind racing, and he must have skipped over her last words, because the next thing to leave his lips sent everything aflame. "It happened before we were together. I'm sorry, we were both drunk, and-"

Before he could go any further, the man caught himself. It seemed her grasp on the suitcase must have lessened, because in that moment, Roy pulled it away. "We aren't coming back. There's too much at stake, I've put her in too much danger already. I'm sorry."

It was at that moment that everything began to click for Riza. Roy's secretiveness, spending so much time with her as of late, them having a drunk night together...

And Eva was getting 'fatter.'

Her heart sank along with her eyelids as her face became a mask of stoicism. "Well, I think I finally got it sir. Thank you for finally coming around to the truth, it's helpful sometimes." She wasn't going to cry. Not for him, not in front of him. "I'd better not keep you, then. Go on."

"I'm sorry..." Roy broke his gaze for her for a moment, and plunged his hand into his pocket. There was something he had to give back. "I need you to know, never wanted any of this..." 

He was lying again. With the ring pulled free, Roy took her hands, and closed it around the circlet. "You need to give this to someone who deserves you, okay? Someday you're gonna find someone that makes you forget all about me, and I wish I could be there to see it happen, but..." he couldn't bring her up...

I'm so sorry."

She stared at the the ring he'd dropped into her palm for quite some time. It matched the silver of her own. They'd costed her quite a lot, but she acted as if he'd just placed a piece of shit in her hand. "Just get out of here."

Riza pulled the door open, making a broad gesture that amounted to her shooing him off. "Go."

So, this was it? Somehow, he'd expected more, and yet, her reaction seemed all too fitting. Roy made for the door with his tail between his legs, only stopping once seated in his car for a final glance. Amestris felt like home, the military felt like home, but Eva felt like family, and for Roy Mustang that was something he'd never had. 

He was still running early. The Flame Alchemist took a breath, put his car in drive, and sped towards family. This was really it, wasn't it?

Through teary eyes, Riza looked out the window at the retreating car. She pulled the blinds shut before putting her back to the wall, sinking to the ground, and trying her best to keep her breath under control. A few hastened puffs came from her mouth until she broke into sobs. Curled into a ball, she expressed her grief the only way she'd ever known how. 

Alone.

Roy drove off, wiping his own tears with the corner of his jacket. That... was it. He just had to get to Eva's get a few things, and then they'd be off.

That was until the military police vehicles around Eva's apartment tipped him off to what was really going on.

Two soldiers in blue made their way for the car, already sensing the tension in the man's eyes. If they'd been told any other day they'd be arresting both the Hero of the people, and Hero of Ishbal in one day, both would have likely laughed it off. As it stood, it seemed as if they'd each have a sizable pay upgrade, and promotion coming their way. 

Just before reaching the vehicle, the shorter of the group looked back and gave a signal, and with that, an armored truck took off. "We're gonna need your car, Colonel. Step out of the vehicle and keep your hands where I can see them."

His hands gripped the wheel of the vehicle tighter. He could either bolt, put up a fight, or comply. If he ran or fought, he ran the risk of being arrested or killed, and he wouldn't be able to help Eva in either situation. He parked the car.

"Alright, alright." Cautiously opening the door, he stepped out with his hands over his head. "What do you need from me? Did something happen with Ed?" As long as he could fake ignorance, he had a chance.

The larger of the two took to the front seat, and gestured for the smaller to speak.

"I...uh..." with the pressure on, it was much harder for him to string together words, so he looked to his superior before giving his demands. "Get in the back seat. We've got orders to take you to the Fuhrer. Something about an opportunity. I think I know about as much as you."

The woman at the wheel merely nodded. "You'll get your car back after the meeting, sir. It's nothing personal, we're just not quite used to this level of attention from the higher ups."

"Well, you've got my attention." He let the shorter of the two soldiers open his door for him, enjoying the fact that they were still waiting on him. "I suppose we'll all find out what's going on when we get to the fuhrer." Roy laughed to mask the noise of his internal screaming.

"I don't know about what's going on with you, but we just busted your subordinate for false identity. It was a Hess case, and get this-"

Roy didn't need to guess, he already knew what they were gonna say. 

"She's knocked up. How stupid do you have to be to end up in that situation knowing you're breaking the law?" 

The other soldier slid in besides the Colonel, clearly proud of his work. "Wait, you're playin' aren't you? You turned her in right? That's what the promotion's about."

Promotion? Roy tended to agree with most things that had that word attached, but lying about this was gonna dig him into a deeper hole if the truth came through. "Nah, it had to have been all of you, right? I'm just shocked that Ed's a girl. I suppose that explains why he was always trying to prove how macho he was." Well, at least that wasn't a lie. Roy had a feeling Eva wanted to seem macho even as a woman, though. "Once he fought an entire wing of the accounting office because someone called him 'dainty.'"

"Not the case," with the door pulled shut, and the car in gear, the woman finally felt compelled to speak again. "we were given this assignment last minute, and boy did it pay off. Not every day that you get something that changes your career. Hell, we might even surpass your fiancé."

He cringed. "Erm... not my fiancé anymore. We had a bit of a disagreement, I'd rather not talk about that, though." He smiled, leaning in the direction of the driver. "In fact, I'm kind of glad I'm on the market again. Makes things a lot less complicated."

Now it was her turn to cringe. "Not a chance, buddy. You're not exactly my type." 

The man beside him grinned and laughed, "you've got a better chance with me than her. Anna's got her eyes fixed on that Armstrong girl."

"Cathrine." She corrected, glancing back to the two of them. "Any girl that can lift a piano over her head's got my interest, that's all I'm sayin'"  
Roy shrugged, and smiled. "To each their own, I suppose." He leaned back into his seat, sizing up the small guard beside him. "So... I'd have a better chance with you, eh?" Nothing like a bit of schmoozing to calm his nerves. With any luck, he'd be able to distract them enough to stall for some time.

"Ohh no," he laughed as they pulled in front of the military offices. "I meant comparatively. I'm not interested in-"

Anna didn't let him finish, turning back to face the others she grinned. "He's not into men either. But he is into alchemy. Tell ya what, since you're out an Alchemist, why not take him under your wing? The kid's young, but pretty talented. Besides that, he's actually got the balls to back him up. I've seen em' too! Right, Cody?"

Cody didn't feel like answering.

"The military puts me in a car, doesn't let me drive, and then has the audacity to put me in a car with soldiers that aren't attracted to me. Maybe they really do think I did something wrong!" He turned to the bigger soldier next to him and put on a show of pouting. The sight of the renowned ‘Flame Alchemist’ throwing a fit over not feeling pretty was enough to get her giggling a bit.

But Cody couldn't find humor anywhere in his statement, instead replying, "I don't think the Fuhrer would ask to see you if there was a problem. He knows what damage you can do with those gloves, I think we're all a little in awe. Probably just to give a statement on Fullmetal."

Roy grinned. "Oh, is that all?" If they were relying on his word... he could work with that. A few cogs turned in his mind at the thought of what he could say. Obviously, he couldn't admit to knowing her, but he could build a good sob story, no doubt.

But before they could answer, the two soldiers in the car were frozen stiff. Out from the offices, and armed as he always was, Fuhrer Bradley made his way toward the car. 

Cody had to swear - under his breath of course, "Holy crap." 

He wasn't much for swearing.

Roy gave a quick salute and a rushed "Sir." Over his time knowing Bradley, it had become clear to him that the Fuhrer was not one for military officiousness. He got out of the car, looking up to his commander in chief, who had made his way closer still. He carried that impermeable smile, the one that seemed to communicate nothing in particular.

"Good Morning, Colonel." He spoke as if Roy's world weren't coming apart at the seams. "Or, given the time perhaps afternoon is more appropriate."

The two soldiers remained subservient, joining his side at the ready. 

King Bradley kept his smile welcoming and extended a hand. "I don't suppose you'd have time for a meeting?" As if he had any choice, "I thought we'd discuss your future with Amestris."

Future with Amestris... this could either go really well or terribly. Still, he had to keep up the big charade. "Of course, sir, I always look forward to serving our nation in new ways. However, I'm a bit concerned. I'd heard something about Edward being a girl, shouldn't you be focusing on that?"

"That's actually why I called you here." His grin didn't change, remaining just as calm and charismatic. "Bacman, Amore - you've done well today." He addressed the other two now, and Cody's face lit knowing the higher ups knew his name. "In honor of your work here today, the two of you will be receiving new titles. How does working in Mustang's old office sound, Colonels?"

Anna Bacman nearly feinted. This couldn't be real. "Yes sir!"

His... old office? This wasn't looking good. "I take it I'm being transferred somewhere? I'm able to work nearly anywhere, as long as my team is able to follow."

"Not exactly," King Bradley put a hand to the Colonel's back, leading him into the offices. He was stronger than he looked, "we've got a lot in store for you, Mustang. All we need is your cooperation. How would you like to work directly under me? I've heard you've got ideas for this country, and I'd like to hear them. We've got all the time in the world."

They started toward the door. Honestly, it felt like they were both floating through the halls of the central building, eventually making it to a grand set of doors.

Roy kept skeptical. This was the man who just promoted two kids barely out of their teens to the rank of colonel. What exactly was he getting at? "That's an honor, sir, but what exactly is it that you'd have me do?" 

He was cut short by the board of generals in the war room, running through briefings before turning all of their attentions to him.

"We've been considering the matter for a while now, and I've got to step down sometime. Consider this training for the time you're able to step up and take my place."

The others didn't speak, but Roy's gaze was drawn directly to a familiar face.

Davis.

"Now Colonel, I know you weren't aware of the situation with Edward, but we've got some higher ups who seem to think you two were connected. Worse than that, we've got a former employee of ours that claims... well, it's hard to explain." The Fuhrer laughed at the absurdity of it all, "It turns out she's carrying, and they seem to think you're the father. Something about missions together, heck even this week. Now, we both know that's not possible. If I recall correctly, you've just returned from an assignment with Lieutenant Hawkeye, isn't that right?"

Was this some kind of test? "No, I was with Ed in Risembool, investigating a broken down laboratory. I was with him... erm, her, but I think we can all agree that this would be too recent to get her noticeably pregnant. I can give you a full briefing on the mission, if you'd like." 

Looking at Charles, he knew this was going to get tricky. Both of the men had sufficiently compromising dirt on the other.

Once again, their leader burst into a fit of laughter, and he was soon joined by the rest of the room. That wasn't the answer he was looking for. "Colonel, I must have heard you wrong. Surely you're mistaken. Now, we're willing to believe you weren't involved, but we need a few answers for you, as well as a promise on your part. Do you think you can answer again?"

They were on to him, trying to give him the runaround... "Listen, sir, I'd really appreciate it if you took my word. I just filled out a report detailing how unfruitful the mission was. During the mission, there was no indication that Edward was a woman, as far as I could tell. I had only known her as a man trying to support himself following the deaths of his parents."

"You're an honest man." The Fuhrer declared. It seemed they'd have to take the hard route after all. "Still, I'm sure not all of us are convinced. Would you be willing to go one step further? Just to prove you're on our side? It won't be much, I assure you. You see, they'd like to investigate further, but I don't see that as necessary if you come through. You're up to it, right?”

Here it came... he felt he was going to have an issue with whatever the Fuhrer wanted. "What exactly do you need me to do?"

General Grand answered his question. "As of late, we've had more women sneaking into the state alchemy program than ever before. It's gotten to the point where we have to make a big statement to the rest of the public." He smiled, his overly white teeth peeking from behind his mustache. "You'll be burning Edward, as the background to a new law that'll introduce mandatory medical checks throughout the military. Any doctors found lying about their patients will be subject to high treason."

Charles must have not known about that bit, because his face went stone cold at the realization of what that meant.  
"All we need is a yes, and we can get to work. Everything's set up. We're just gonna need you to sign, and the position is yours." 

The Fuhrer folded his arms as if he was making a business deal. "Now, then, do we have a deal?"

Roy didn’t speak...how could he? Offered everything, with everything to lose.

It seemed he'd need more convincing. "Honestly Colonel, it's the least you can do for proof. This can all go away, your missions together, your threats to doctor Davis, heck, even you can admit the timing for Ed's suspension's a little too close for comfort. Just snap your fingers and we'll take care of everything."

In that moment, Roy Mustang wanted so badly to burn everyone in that room. To leave them charred, take off running. But this was Amestris, and in the end, he’d find no justice that way. He had to be smart. It took all of his energy to keep himself seeming somewhat calm. 

"I will admit I have some attachment to Edward as I thought he was, being under my command over the years. I apologize if I seem a bit shaken by the offer." Shaken was understating it. This was a goddamn disaster. He clenched his teeth, as if anticipating a great deal of pain in the next few moments. "I'll... I'll do it. Just give me a moment to..." It was up to him to keep composed. Fighting back tears of frustration, he continued. "It's just... I've known him... her for so long. It's just starting to register what this means."

Roy knew he had to be the one to do the execution. It was the only way he could buy more time... perhaps even think of an escape plan.

"Excellent." The Fuhrer clapped his hands, and with that, the soldiers around him rose, two taking Roy's arms and starting for the door. "Then we'll get things started, after all, this is a very special day. Everything's already in place." 

Charles Davis remained seated, examining his humiliation from afar. 

"I'm excited to be working with you, Mustang." Bradley's words echoed out across the room. "We're gonna make this country the best it's ever been together."

And as the door pulled shut, the Colonel found himself marched down towards a familiar field. 

Empty and large, the place stood surrounded by grandstands. He remembered this place. Roy had dueled with her in this very location long ago. It seemed that on this day, military attendance was pivotal, as if this had been the plan all along. 

There was no time to think...there was no way of escaping this...

There she was...

They had it set up already? How long did they all know about this? There was not time for a plan, it was just him and Eva, facing up against each other.

He frantically looked among the crowds, all of them interested to see how the death of a national icon was going to play out. Police beat back droves of protesters. Others cheered. Still others watched sourly, wiping tears from their faces.

It was an absolute frenzy.

He looked down to Eva, forced into the same position that Kurt was. Blindfolded, makeup done, with her pregnant belly on display for the world to see. Sweat rolled down her forehead as she angrily screamed through the gag put on her. At least they had the decency to dress her in her leather pants and tank top.

Surrounded by the crowd, Roy felt their energy funneling into him. He received a roar as he pulled on his gloves, smiled, and held his fingers at the ready.

The snap was louder and heavier than any gunshot could have been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm too tired and excited for people's reaction to this chapter to wait 47 minutes, so here ya go. - Becca


	21. Chapter Twenty

Eva let out a sharp scream, recoiling from the flash of heat. 

Sucking on a finger, she noted a tear in the rubber of the lamp cord, exposing shiny copper beneath it. Did they have rats?

Winry rushed in. "What was that? Why were you screaming?"

The alchemist turned and gave a silly grin, still sucking on her index finger. "It eshploded."

Alphonse peered around the corner, somewhat unsurprised. It seemed she couldn't even stay out of trouble in their own home. "Sister, we don't have time for this. Shouldn't you be packing?" The fear in his voice was obvious. Sure, Roy would be back soon, but there was always the chance they'd be caught. 

Eva frowned, and folded her arms. "I did that already, it's not like any of these clothes are gonna fit me ever again." She was right about one thing: they wouldn't need much. Somehow it didn't seem right, was this really all they had? 

"We're good to go...at least let me have a moment, alright?"

She stretched, yawned, and leaned back.

Winry was not so quick to settle down, however. "Do you even realize how dangerous it is to let your guard down? We're almost out of here." She looked out the window, cautious of any vehicles. Why was Eva so calm? Was she the one who was being crazy here? 

The mechanic certainly felt like it. Having left her grandmother for God knows how long, she felt she had a right to be on edge.

Eva frowned, pulled her finger from her mouth, and started towards the window. "Look, would you rather I sit and panic? We've got 15 minutes...you really want me to spend the last few moments I have in my house terrified?" 

Alphonse shifted for a moment, but after a moment of thought, he sat down beside her. "Anyone you wanna say goodbye to? We've still got time..." he offered her a hand.

It didn't take long for her to think of someone.Eva dialed the number without hesitation.

Hearing the phone ring for a few moments, the butcher gave a sigh. He wedged his knife into the side of beef he was pulling apart, washed his hands, and then casually strolled to pick up the phone right before it would have stopped ringing. 

"Dublith Meat Market, this is Sig."

"Um...can I talk to Teacher? I need to say-" Eva started to speak, but quickly found herself interrupted on the other end of the line.

"Momma! Momma!" Izumi had almost gotten used to having a son around the house, but this was getting ridiculous. The young child pushed past her, leading her towards the door. "Come on-"

Sig put a hand over the phone's mouthpiece, calling to Izumi. "Hey, Eva's calling you."

The teacher crossed her arms for a moment of thought, before extending a hand to take the phone. With the other, she put a finger over her lips, quieting the young boy immediately. "Eva. It's not like you to call me... I'm much more used to you winding up dejected on my doorstep. Are you giving me a warning before showing up this time?" Honestly, Izumi liked the idea of Eva visiting. No doubt the military had made her soft.

Eva didn't answer at first...it was so nice to hear her voice. A lump formed in her throat at the prospect of losing her. "I'm pregnant..."

The child tugged on his mother's leg, "Momma, we have to go. Come on..."

Who was that voice? Eva looked to her brother for answers, but he and Winry seemed to be occupied. "I'm sorry. We're leaving the country, I just needed to say-" it didn't take long for Izumi to take control of the conversation.

"Oh, Eva. You were never able to control your emotions, not even to save your life. I should have known better." Izumi patted her son's head, disappointed that she hadn't seen this coming. “You should have waited to experience passion, but your self-control was always weak." Honestly, this was her fault as a teacher. She hadn't been hard enough on the girl from the start.

"I called to say goodbye." Saying it aloud was harder than she'd thought. Alphonse stood over his sister. Roy had to be here, they'd need to wrap this up. "I'm-"

But Izumi didn't let her finish her apology.

"You called to give up, is what you did. To run away to Neverland so you don't have to deal with the consequences of your own actions. Call it what you want, escape or retreat, but what you're really doing is rolling over to expose your belly." Her hand clenched the phone tighter, indents forming in the metal. "Do you think you'll actually make it out? You're doing exactly what every other girl's done before they got caught."

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT ME ANYMORE, OKAY?!" Eva's words held more venom than she thought she was capable of, "I THOUGHT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT."

Calling had been a mistake, but before Izumi could keep going, Eva gave her final words on the matter. "Look, you always taught me to fight for what I believe in, and like it or not, that's exactly what I'm doing. I had a family once, and I lost it, and maybe that's on me, but I'm not gonna lose this one too!"

Izumi could hear a sharp clack on the other end before the line went dead. Perhaps she was being a bit harsh on the girl... Eva did seem like she was fully willing to do what it took to fight for her safety, so why was she saying goodbye? It boggled Izumi's mind.

Setting down the phone, the housewife looked to her husband, then to the boy she’d taken in. "Eva's in trouble, which no doubt means that Al's in danger too. He won't be able to fend off the Amestrian military without Eva's alchemy, so I'm going to go get him. I'll take the car."

Sig's eyebrows scrunched together. "Izumi... we don't have a car."

"Didn't." She stated, walking towards the door. "The neighbors need to learn to not keep theirs unguarded."

Once the phone was thoroughly destroyed, the room finally went silent. Alphonse found himself faced with a familiar tension, and a question he had to ask. It didn't seem like she was in the mood to talk. 

Eva's body was still reclining on the couch...but her demeanor had changed entirely. She'd been disowned before, back when her father left, but this? Losing Izumi was harder.

It was her brother's words that finally sent her over the edge. "Sister...Mom wasn't your fault..."

"Don't lecture me on things you don't know about."

"You can't just blame yourself for everything, Sister! Just think about what really happened and-"

But she'd had enough. Rather than arguing the matter further, she pushed past her brother and closed the doors. Big mistake.

Now was not the best time for Eva to shut herself off from everyone. The mechanic’s jaw dropped in horror as she saw a group of military vehicles stop by the house. There was only a moment's pause before vehicle doors began to open, and a flood of armed soldiers began to establish a perimeter around the front of their apartment. 

She pulled the blinds shut, and sprinted to the back of the hall where Al stood waiting for his sister. "Eva! The military's here! We gotta go!" She dipped a hand into the pocket of her work trousers, feeling around for the little trinket she had stored inside. If they were gonna die here, Eva might as well have it.

Eva wasted no time, but neither did the soldiers. They were at the door already. There had to be a way out, there had to-

They were out of time. 

There was a deafening bang as the door flew backwards, allowing the troops to storm her apartment. Eva sprinted for the window, desperately pulling at the bottom.

Dammit! Why wouldn't it open?!

"ALPHONSE!"

She called for her brother, but it seemed Winry was the only one at her side. Fuck! They were surrounded. Where was Al? The soldiers were quickly surrounding them, guns at the ready. What the hell? Between the gun waving and the screams, all felt lost. 

And then the world went completely black.

Winry’s screams were only outmatched by her grip on the alchemist. She held tight to Eva as the two began to fall shortly, only to find her in Al’s arms. "Sorry... I had to go outside to transmute. We'll only have a little time to run before they find us, but it should give us a head start."

A hole through the apartment complex. That was sure to draw attention, but at the very least, they had a way out.

Alphonse, clearly shaken, refused to let his sister down, though that proved both figurative and literal. How the hell was he able to see in this nothingness?

Suddenly, someone gripped her hand…

Winry had a feeling that this was going to be the last time that she'd get a chance to hold her hand in a long time. A few tears leaked from her eyes as they emerged from the hole, the blistering light of noon pounding on them. 

Al, untiring, made a good show of running from the swarms of the military, blocking the stray bullets with his body. However, the sheer number of military personnel was inescapable.

Just as Eva’s pupils were beginning to adjust to the light, she was once again blinded by a growing cloud of tear gas. From the irritating fog, gas masked soldiers began to close in on them. They were lucky Al was there to keep going. 

Eva grasped at the gun she'd been given, but the agony she was in caused it to slip from her grip. Blind, defenseless, and nearly to the point of vomiting, it seemed she could only rely on her brother for survival now.

Al maneuvered as best he could and delivered kicks to the legs of the soldiers, apologizing under his breath as they were knocked to the ground.

All Winry could feel is a strong sensation of pain, and her screams were drowned out by the gunshots, hits, and sound of machinery. She winced, noticing Eva getting a few sharp kicks to the stomach. Was this going to hurt Emily? 

It wouldn’t even matter if they were all dead.

A rifle blast brought Al to his knees, and sent his sister flying towards a brick wall. Try as he might, the armored boy couldn't bring himself to his feet. It's hard enough to stand when you've only got one leg. Alphonse was missing both.

One blurry look back, and Eva struggled to her feet. Where the hell was she going?

Winry didn't get very far. Through her limited vision, she found herself staring down the barrel of a pistol. She had no choice but to fall to her knees and be dragged off by a pair of soldiers.

Eva felt for the gun, her fingers finally grazing the handle.

Two shots to the one of the soldiers, one missed but the other-

Winry tore off, gripping Eva's hand once more. She draped a familiar locket around her neck, and kissed her cheek. This was goodbye. One last whisper...she was begging..."I'll make sure Al's safe. Just get out of here alive..." for a moment, it seemed as if she'd say more, but Winry kept quiet, and gripped tight to her wrench, and stood her ground. 

Eva took off towards the only direction without soldiers.

The bullets may have only dented Al, but Winry was not so lucky. She screamed and dropped her wrench as a bullet dug into her shoulder, shattering bone and tearing flesh along with it. She fell to the ground, her limp arm no longer in a state to work for her.

Eva would have run to her, were it not for the gun trained at Winry's head. The young mechanic began sobbing, her tears hitting only the dust of the ground.

This had to be the fastest she'd ever ran - Eva felt another kick from her gut - nice of Emily to help out. She had to keep going. Eva drew back one moment as she saw a familiar face drive past. It was the Colonel! She was really gonna make it! She-

She hit the ground with a heavy thud. Her hands were pulled behind her back and into a pair of handcuffs. She was guided to her feet, and finally got the chance to look over her shoulder at her captor through swollen eyes.

It was a slightly older woman about the same height as Eva, angrily mumbling to herself. She looked familiar, but Eva’s eyes still burned. She couldn’t tell who it was. "Oh, she'll be easy to catch. She's got no alchemy." She forcefully escorted the alchemist to an armored military truck. Her hands felt almost...

That voice...was she?

Somehow, she couldn't remember who it was, though with a rag placed over her mouth, it didn't take long for her to lose her train thought all together.

There he was...10 feet away. Eva made one last inch toward her superior, called his name one last time. He just needed to look...

She shut her eyes, succumbing to a level of pain she hadn’t felt in years.

It was over.

The last thing she noticed was Roy stopping to talk to a few soldiers before having a bag pulled over her head. It was only darkness, but she could feel herself being guided into a truck. She was only allowed to sit and brood with her thoughts.

Fuck, was Winry gonna live? What about Al? The military had them, they could end up chimeras for all she knew.

The captured Alchemist could also hear the sound of the familiar soldier conversing with an unknown man. "-Can you believe it took this much to get her?"

"It'll all be worth it soon..." said the other. By the tone in his voice, the soldier was quite pleased. "Heard the Fuhrer's gonna be using the Flame to torch her - new law and everything."

The Colonel? Wait...had she been set up? Eva felt the frustrated pressure build in her head before letting out a wail that reddened the corners of her vision.

“Easy there, Tarzan,” the man responded, “you’ll lose your voice like that.”

"Definitely, of course." The woman’s tone expressed schadenfreude. "The colonel always was a good little errand boy. There's a reason he's going to be Fuhrer one day."

The man laughed a bit. "I suppose, I suppose. Ambitious, that one." There was a pause. "Erm... you talk about him like you know him pretty well. You been here long?"

"No, no, not at all," her voice was velvety, her words dancing around the vehicle. "I've only heard about him from the more senior members of my group. They're quite informed about him."

Eva reached out, one word on her tensed lips. "Colonel-" She was answered with a bite to her finger, human teeth digging deep enough to draw blood. Recoiling, she yelped.

"Knock her out..." Was there a third person there? Eva struggled, but couldn't identify the voice that answered. It made Eva feel uncomfortable, listening to it. It almost sounded like her own, but with a slightly higher pitch. "We've got a long way to go."

The man expressed approval. "Yeah, might as well keep her quiet for the rest of the way. We just need to-" he went silent, along with a... splash? What just happened?

"You've got a point." The female soldier responded. "Can you give her something to knock her out?"

"I thought you'd never ask." The third voice responded.

Whoever it was didn't waste time - with the bag pulled up over her mouth, Eva soon found herself gagged with a pill in her mouth. The new voice spoke up again. "Sorry I can't stick around, I've got somewhere important to be."

Eva was fading with each passing moment. Her eyes grew heavier, as she tried her hardest to place the third voice. This was it… 

Her limbs ached upon awakening, being forced to unnaturally stay in the same restraints. Wherever she was, it was freezing. The bag was off of her head, but her vision was still filled with darkness. There was a man in front of her, his back against the only light in the dank room. Blue uniform, black hair, shit-eating smile….  
Roy?

She couldn't speak. Eva yelled and swore and struggled despite being gagged and tied to a heavy chair. In her rage, the seat she was on shook with all of the energy she had left in her exhausted body. In what she thought to be her final moments, her eyes bore into Roy with a single maddened message.

You’ll burn for this.

She was met with an empty snap, and laughter. "You actually thought he was going to do it! You really thought it was him." Roy dissolved in a flash of alchemy, changing into Envy. They continued to cackle, and yanked off the gag and restraints. She couldn't do any damage to them here. 

"Ugh, I don't know how that ugly Colonel does it!" They continued, cracking the bones in their neck. "Couldn't imagine having to fuck you."

That was the voice...it had been her own. It took mere seconds for her to identify the homunculus before her. Eva glanced around, examining her surroundings. It didn't take long to piece things together. "You guys wanna keep me alive so I can make the stone for you." She didn't know what was scarier, a military who wanted her dead, or the monsters that needed her alive.

If only it were that simple…

"No, Eva," it was the other voice...the one she couldn't place. Suddenly, the Alchemist found herself haunted as another figure stepped into the light. The woman placed a hand over Eva’s exposed stomach. "You're here to make us something else." 

This wasn't possible...Was this what hell was? Faced with the dead, Eva could only assume that's where she'd wound up. "Mom..."

The woman sneered. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? No, dear, my name’s Sloth. Sadly, the only mommy here is you. Hopefully you aren't as terrible at mothering as you were at being a daughter." She snickered, turning out of the cell. "After all, it would be a shame for you to lose anymore limbs."

"No, the transmutation failed that night! Al and I didn't bring you back, we lost everything that night because we were wrong." Now that was something she was certain of. 

Answers...that's what she needed.

"Where the hell am I?"

Sloth spoke once more, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Honestly, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out. You were always so obnoxiously curious, and persistent."

The Alchemist felt her heart catch at this creature's voice. It couldn't be her, but then...

Those were her mother's eyes.

"You never wondered what happened to all those little alchemists? Breaking the law like that's a pretty big crime, but at least down her, we have a use for you." She inched closer. Eva fell back, hitting the ground hard. "We needed better alchemists. Your kind was the solution."

Eva looked to her surroundings only to find the walls bare and floor stripped. There was nothing she could use to fight them...

She still couldn't transmute

Eva stumbled up and without thinking, she charged at the woman. The choke hold she found herself in was enough payback to stop her from trying that again, and when she hit the floor, her eyes blurred with tears; she found herself right where she'd started.

"You know, I've really come to hate this place. It's not like Pride's job, not a lot of power here, but I take what I can get. They didn't want me working around there. Too easy to be seen. With you and your brother running amuck it was easier to stick me down here where there's so much more work.” 

She frowned at her new prisoner, as if it were directly her fault. “I suppose was a mother in a previous life, so it wasn't like Dante was gonna do anything else with me. Now this...seeing you here makes it all worth it. You took so much from my family, Evangeline. You're the reason your father left. You stole my death from me, and had the audacity to take your brother's life. Now, I get to pay it all back. I get to pay you for putting me here, I get to give back every little bit you took from the life I built. So, thank you, Eva. Thank you for giving me the ability to take everything you took from me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We warned you guys that things were gonna get dark, and it's only going to get darker from here. You've been warned. - Becca and Riley


	22. Chapter Twenty One

Riza had to make sure she didn't take any of her guns along. After all, he was a high ranking official now, and they’d already had one assassination today. 

Leading the pack, she, Kain, Vato, Jean, and Haymans marched through the halls as if they were ready to revolt. The anger was palpable, with each step they made turning heads and propelling them towards the double doors that led to Mustang's office.

It was Breda who kicked the door open, though it seemed Roy was unfased. There he was... packing. "Colonel, what the hell were you thinking?" Riza scolded. The pain from him abandoning her was one thing...but this? This was murder. It had certainly put things into perspective for her. "Your behavior has been reprehensible. None of us stand by what you've done, and we'd all like to announce our resignations as a group.”

Roy peeked over, slightly annoyed by the commotion. "That's Brigadier Mustang." He went back to packing his things.

He giggled to himself a bit. "Besides, cutting ties with the military isn't that easy. Accusations like that and I have you reported for infidelit-"

Roy didn't get the chance to finish. Backhanded by one of his own, the former Colonel nearly hit the floor. 

"Infidelity? You wanna talk about lack of loyalty?" Havoc was seething, and it seemed the rest of the crew was just as close to tearing their superior apart. "How about selling out one of your own? How's that for infidelity? Was that all she was to you? A ticket up? Did you wait til she was pregnant to sell her out or did it just work out that way?"

Roy didn't speak. He didn't look up from his things. Why hadn't he stopped at the office instead? He had a lot more to gather here than he ever did at home.

He was just gonna go back to packing after that?

Breda walked up to his superior, and even though he seemed to pay his subordinate no mind, Breda could see Mustang wince in anticipation of more pain. "Roy... I don't think I can ever call you 'sir' again. You fucked up... and I never thought I'd be saying that to you." Roy's eyes glassed over. Was he about to cry?

Still, he kept packing. It didn't take long for him to gather everything together. "If you're serious about leaving, I can make that happen. You'd be surprised what access I've got with this new rank."

Falman felt like he was gonna be sick, but he kept his cool. Havoc on the other hand...

"You honestly expect us to stand by and watch you take power? After everything we've seen today? What happened to Alphonse? Does he know you burned his sister alive? Four years she’s been with us! Didn’t she mean anything to you?!"

Four years...

With no words to respond with, the brigadier shifted to his desk to begin writing letters of recommendation for his team. "You're gonna need some prospects if you're gonna be leaving. I have a few basic sheets already written up for each of you."

"Answer me Mustang!" Havoc froze. It didn't seem he was going to respond.

Riza was trying her best to keep her cool... she really was, but... "Is this how it's going to be?" Her breaths were ragged, and no one had seen her screaming before. "You get some girl pregnant, feel bad for yourself, and then burn the evidence so you don't have to go to jail? You're a fucking coward!" The rest of Mustang's squadron stepped back from the man as her words dawned on them all.

"This isn't just some girl..." Falman finally spoke up, and stood his ground. "Edward and Alphonse were family! You just threw that away! And for what?"

Kain Fuery was in tears. "M-Mustang... did you really do that? Did you burn your own kid?" This was the man he'd looked up to for so long. A leader, a friend... and a child killer. "How? How could you do that?"

Roy's voice went dull at his words, but he kept calm, and finished writing. "Two lives for the thousands we're gonna help...seemed equivalent to me." 

It took a minute for Havoc to realize the magnitude of his betrayal. It took three soldiers to hold him back. "You son of a bitch..." maybe she wasn't to Roy, but to the rest of his team, "THEY WERE FAMILY! JUST LIKE YOU ALWAYS USED TO SAY WE WERE!"

This time, Falman didn't hesitate in speaking his mind. "Was she in love with you?" 

Roy couldn't answer that either.

Breda, still close by, stared at Roy for a few moments. He wanted so badly to strangle this piece of shit... but it wouldn't fix anything, would it? 

He could only express his disapproval. "After all we've been through... I can't believe you'd do this. You are the worst kind of scum, just like all the other goddamn military officials." It seemed to all of them that Roy was becoming someone as emotionally dead as Bradley. "You'll have no problem becoming Fuhrer... and maybe even order a few genocides."

"If I'm Fuhrer, I can change this country for the better. The only chance Edward's death has at making a difference is if I stand up and change things." He handed each letter off. "You're gonna need these."

"You steal our girlfriends, and when one finally comes around that seems to matter, you burn her alive. Or was that just because you didn't want the responsibility? Is that how you dispose of all the women in your life? Or just the ones that pose a threat? Do you even know her real name?" Havoc's words cut even further.

Roy felt his heart catch in his throat. He couldn't answer that either without-

"I need you to look these over. If I've made any mistakes, you can reach me at the Hughes' house. I'm going to be staying with them for a while."

Riza scoffed. "After all you've done... you're just going to use that family as a stepping stone for your new job?" She grabbed the letter from him, contemplating tearing it up. "Maes actually cared for the people he was intimate with. Made them feel like they mattered... I can see you prefer people to be disposable." The letter wrinkled in her frustrated grip, but against her better judgement, she stormed out of the door with it. It didn't matter what happened next... she had to find a way to bring him down.

It seemed the others followed suit, each leaving a trail of torn paper in their wake. With the door pulled shut, Mustang frantically dropped to his knees, gathered the remains, and burned them to ash. Left alone in his office, it finally felt official. He was going to have to do this alone.

“Lieutenant,” Havoc caught her arm. He had to say something, “Do you know what happened?”

With Roy’s betrayal of their trust on two fronts, an angry energy seemed to keep their thoughts in sync. “None of you are going to work for anyone else… or if you are, you’ll come back to me once I’m a colonel. There’s only one way we’ll be able to take Roy down now, I’ve got to beat him to the top.” She was frantic, planning out just what she’d have to do to get the job done.

As if any of them could truly leave each other. Breda, Falman, Fuery, and Havoc agreed in unanimity, a force united under Roy now dedicated to his disposal. Fuery voiced a small bit of dissent. “Do you really think you can become Fuhrer before he does?”

She smiled ever so slightly. “Absolutely not. He’s a male alchemist war hero who’s willing to destroy the people he loves for power. I need to get a leg up on him.” The lieutenant began to walk off in the direction of the military prison, signalling for the others to follow her. “We have to go find Alphonse. Even if we can’t get him out right now, we should have the clearance to at least talk to him. After that, we can come up with a way to get him out legally.” Finding herself in command, she couldn’t stifle her self-satisfied smile.

“Ma’am, what are you planning to ask Alphonse for?” Fuery hurried to catch up with her frenetic pace, just as the rest of her unit did.

“She wants to know about Roy’s relationship with Edward.” Falman responded, his tone matter-of-factly. “If she can get enough information and eyewitnesses, she’ll have the beginnings of a solid case against Roy. If she can keep piling up information, she might be able to expose the truth.” 

“Her name was Eva.” She corrected. Riza marched around the corner, the military prison in her sights. If they could get to Al, then it would be a good source of information to orient their cause around.

With each door they pushed through, the tension in Riza’s men began to build. Would he even be alive? Edward had never been to keen to talk about his brother’s mortality, but Havoc knew enough to know the risks Al now faced without his sister around. At worst, the boy would end up in a lab, subject to tests and experiments. At best? Havoc picked up his pace. They’d already seen one Elric burned at the stake; he wasn’t about to let anything happen to the other. 

It was too late for that, however. Al, although still living, was hardly in any state that warranted him being put behind bars. Both of his legs were missing, blasted off so that the hollow stumps of his legs formed jagged broken ends. The rest of him wasn’t much better off, either heavily dented or even swissed in some parts of his body with the telltale signs of gunfire. He feebly craned his bent helmet to look at them all, the red lights in his eyes that indicated life dangerously flickering.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye!” the light in Al’s eyes shined bright when she arrived. It seemed the Colonel had worked faster than he’d thought. His words came out fast, though Al didn’t notice the panic in his own voice. There were too many questions he needed answers to. “Is my sister okay? Is the baby okay? Winry got shot, I know they took her off to medical, but no one is telling me anything!” No one said a word. It was up to Alphonse to break the silence. Were they mad at him? “We should have told you sooner...I know, but I couldn’t risk losing her. She’s all I have left.”

His words sent a wave of mourning over the group of soldiers. She really was all he had left… he deserved to know the whole story. “Al…” Riza began slowly, testing each word like a step on a cross-rope. “We didn’t think Roy would actually do it, but he did…”

The guilt hit Al faster than he’d thought it would. “I know, but you have to understand, it was an accident. They were both drunk, and he didn’t mean to hurt you, but this is bigger than that. It means a lot that you’re standing by us. Eva talked about fighting this before. Maybe she was right - if we have you all behind us then-” but then...something didn’t seem right. Riza looked heartbroken, but she had a reason to be - why was everyone else-?

“Al… no. It’s not about that.” She could feel the inklings of emotions welling up in the back of her throat. “Roy… he burned her for the military. She’s gone...” Vocalizing it did not help her situation. She began to cry, moisture filling her eyes. “I’m so sorry, none of us wanted this to happen…”

That....that wasn’t possible, Al drew back, but found it harder to move. All he could do was watch - and their faces said it all. “He’s in love with her, we were going to Xing. He promised us he’d keep them safe...” The light in his eyes darted back and forth as Al tried to rationalize the impossible. “I need to see her.”

Havoc looked to Breda, the only thing left of her- “They’re putting her automail on display at the Central Community Hall.” Breda stated. As if that helped at all. “If we get a case going, it’s possible we can make sure it goes back to you. Everything else is gone.”

Al seemed to crumple to the floor like foil, letting out a sad moan. It was the closest he could come to crying for his sister, something he desperately wanted to do. “I should have run faster. I didn’t protect her, and now...”

Riza reached through the bars, and put a hand to the boy’s helmet. How could she comfort someone in his situation? “Alphonse, we have to make it so this doesn’t happen to anyone else, but in order to do that, we’re gonna need you to answer some questions. Do you think you can do that for us?” 

Her question was premature. Al spent the next few minutes trying to compose himself, make sense of what she’d just asked him, but the pain of losing his sister dominated his mind. Where was the point where it all went wrong? There were so many occasions Al could have stepped in to save his sister from her death, and the memories of what could have been tormented him like her ghost. 

He had to help Riza… and stop Roy. Al finally nodded his head in response to Riza’s question.

Deaf to just how broken down Al really was, Riza smiled. “We’ll stop Roy, I promise you that. Now… you’ve got to tell me what you know about Roy’s relationship with Eva.” She gestured to have Falman move to the front of the pack. “Tell us everything. He can remember it.”

And so he did. Eva’s brother recounted all that he could recollect, developing from their initial meeting years ago. He recalled the vitriol that they carried for each other in the early years which eventually became a casual teasing behavior. Of the mission that resulted in Eva’s pregnancy over four months ago, and how it completely upset their dynamic. The longing both he and Eva felt when they were apart for four months, and then the obvious passion that they felt for each other over the trip to Risembool, resulting in plans to run off to Xing together.

Hawkeye looked like she was about to be sick. “You’re saying there was no indication… nothing that seemed like Roy was going to kill her?”

Al shook his head, emotionally exhausted from all he’d recalled.

“Roy’s always been good at lying… but I didn’t know he was that good.” Falman put a hand to his chin in thought. “It seems like this wasn’t premeditated then, if what Al says is true.”

Havoc let out a frustrated growl. “The fucker changed his mind the second there was a promotion involved.” He moved to pace around the prison hall, trying to dissipate some of the furious energy.

The lieutenant tried to be the calm leader, but Roy’s greed was too much. “I… can’t believe he’d do something like this. Al, it doesn’t matter what it’s going to take, I’ll get you out of here. I can work through the-”

A flash of light and a bang cut Riza short, her attention being drawn to the figure approaching from the dust. All of her men trained their guns on whatever it was, fearful of some sort of alchemical monstrosity. It was a tallish xingese woman with braids.

At the sight of their guns, Izumi cracked her knuckles. “Tell me where Alphonse is.”

Riza grabbed the gun out of Fuery’s hands, training it on the woman. “Sorry, Kain, your aim was off.” He responded with a glower, but she tuned him out. “Why do you want him?”

This woman couldn’t have known Al too well, or else she would have noticed him in the cell.

The woman sighed. It was so much easier when soldiers just started firing. “He’s in prison because of his sister’s cowardice. I’m here to free him.”

Eva’s cowardice? “We’re here to free him too.” Riza kept her gun aimed at the odd woman’s head.

Izumi looked confused. “Well is he out?” The sight of them shaking their heads brought a frown to Izumi’s lips. “You must be incompetent, then.”

“She’s really gone…” it seemed reality had finally caught up with the armored Elric, though time surely hadn’t. His armor began to shake at the realization. “I couldn’t do anything to stop them, she’s never coming back.”

The teacher’s eyes shot over to the broken suit of armor. “That was Alphonse. Why is he in that thing?” She marched over to the source of his voice, periodically clapping and bending iron bars around her until she was scowling down at the boy. Once again, she clapped her hands in an attempt to transmute the suit open, but… it moved? Alphonse backpedaled away from her as quickly as he could. Her eyes narrowed. “Al… what did you do?”

Riza raised an eyebrow, lowering her gun. “You know Al’s voice, but you don’t know about his armor?”

“No, I don’t know… but I’m getting ideas.” The housewife’s hands shook with barely contained anger. “He traded his body for something, didn’t he?”

The lieutenant elaborated. “Both Eva and Al. They tried to bring back their mother.” Was this woman from before that? “How do you know them?”

Izumi looked like she was ready to crack open someone’s skull. “I’m a housewife… who taught the wrong orphans how to perform alchemy.” She drove a fist into Al’s torso, denting it. 

Havoc was about as done as he could be with the woman before him, “And where the hell have you been all these years? She gave four years of service to the military, and you just show up now after she’s killed?” 

Her eyes widened as her eyebrows furrowed. “Eva was killed? She spoke to me on the phone less than three hours ago.”

“She was. Roy Mustang burned her to death for the military.” Breda was blunt, almost forgetting the grief that consumed the group. “That’s why we’re getting Al outta here.”

All at once, Izumi sidelined her anger about the human transmutation. “Tell me where this Roy Mustang is. I’ll tear his spine out.” She hoisted Al onto her back, letting him hold onto her shoulders.

“Woah, there, what do you think you’re doing?” Riza raised her gun, aiming at the woman’s leg this time.

Izumi was not intimidated. “What’s it look like? I’m getting Al out of here so I can avenge his sister.” She coughed, and a small stream of blood dribbled down her chin.

Alphonse gripped tight to her arm, hugging her back. “Teacher, I’m sorry. I didn’t...I didn’t think she would-” he began to shake again, as if his soul itself was breaking apart. 

“Alphonse, don’t talk.” She responded. “Your metal body is incapable of growing stronger through hardship.” She took a bloody handkerchief out of her pocket and dabbed beneath her mouth. “Just point me to Roy and I’ll do the rest.”

This was getting out of hand for Riza. “You can’t kill Roy now!”

She scoffed. “And why is that?”

It took a while for the Lieutenant to put it into words. Hell, she’d reasoned with herself on the issue earlier that very day. Finally satisfied with her words, Riza took in a breath and answered. “Because if you do, he’ll die a hero.” She tried to be blunt about it. “He’s just killed a girl wanted for treason, been promoted, and previously fought in the Ishbalan War of Extermination. If you assassinate him now, you’ll look like some extremist, and they’ll be able to persecute any dissenters in the military on the grounds of security. We need to tie him to the baby for this to work.” 

The realization took years off of Izumi Curtis’ life. 

“She didn’t want to run,” Al managed to get out. With the weight of his own thoughts and guilt, Alphonse found it harder to speak than ever before. “H-he told her to run away with him, and he killed her. I don’t understand. He wanted it too. They wanted to keep it, this doesn’t make sense!”

“Just realize that this colonel needs to pay for what he’s done.” Izumi stated, pleased that everyone around her agreed. “It seems like you have capable friends here, Alphonse. I’ll let them handle themselves until I’m needed.” She smiled at Riza, raising her eyebrows in respect.

Not capable enough. She was gone. She was never coming back. 

Al kept going over those words in his head. It didn’t feel real.

Why couldn’t he cry?

Eva used to cry for him, didn’t she?

He went limp, thinking it over, and soon found himself carried away by someone he once considered family. Without Eva, it seemed like that word had become meaningless. 

Riza lowered her gun, watching the strange woman spirit Al’s body away. She felt like she was floating out of the prison along with her team, the alarms finally sounding off. 

Prison guards scrambled about, and she passed through all of them without a moment’s consideration. The high of rebellion was finally wearing off, which allowed the true exhaustion of the last week to set in. She told Breda, Havoc, Falman, and Fuery to go home. They’d have a lot to get done in the next few days. She’d have a lot to do as well, but there was only one thing on her mind now. 

Riza needed a drink.

She rounded a corner and began to make her way towards her bar. As much as she now associated it with Mustang, she wasn’t about to let him ruin a place that had given her so many moments of calm. From the Central Military headquarters, it was only a fifteen minute’s walk through the streets, a world of orange and reds due to the sunset. What little foliage there was around the core of the city strived to match the color, autumn finally getting to the trees. The lieutenant realized that it was the first time of the year she’d felt cold.

By the time she’d made it to the bar, the light of twilight had faded enough that the act of opening the door blinded her for a moment. Her eyes took a few moments to adjust before she looked up, only to be greeted by an unkempt Mustang chatting with the waitress.

Roy shifted, revealing several finished glasses and a bright red coat. It seemed as though whatever he’d been discussing wasn’t important, because as soon as Riza caught his eye, he stood to leave. “Well, I suppose we’re done here,” he started off giving a solemn smile, “it’s been nice, Ruby, I’m gonna miss this.” He pulled the coat close, handed the waitress a large sum of money, and started for the door.

Riza stepped between him and the door, aggravated. “You come here, of all places, after what you’ve done?” Again, she supposed it was best she didn’t have a gun with her.  
He merely looked dazed at the sight of her. His focus wasn’t quite as steady as his alcohol intake had been. “D’you read my letter?”

She felt for it… it was still in her jacket pocket. Shaking her head, she took it out so he could see it was unopened. He pulled on a glove to incinerate it, to which the lieutenant responded by striking his gut.

Roy hit the ground and let out a moan, pulling Eva’s coat closer. “Look, if you’re not gonna look it over, there’s no use in keeping it.” Damn, she was strong. Why the hell had he come here in the first place? At this point, he couldn’t remember. It took some doing, but Roy got to his feet and put a hand out. “I take it you’re not gonna read it?”

Her eyes lingered on the letter for a moment longer before she tore into it. She straightened to the paper and read it out loud. 

“Every soldier that I work under is valued. A shining example of such exemplary work is Riza Hawkeye, an official who knows the importance of hard work. Although I may have some bias in working with her for so long, you would be hard pressed to find a better soldier for selection. Always loyal, she knows how to truly give her all in a fight. Also, she is a highly experienced fighter, equally deadly with either gun or knife.

Emphatically, Roy Mustang”

The Lieutenant’s brow furrowed at the sight. This had to be the worst written letter of recommendation she’d ever received. “Do you think that’s going to win me over?”

“I suppose not,” he sighed, grabbed the letter from her hands, and started for the door. “It was a pleasure working with you, Lieutenant. I hope you will forgive me for the heartache I’ve caused.”

He was at the door, Eva’s coat in his arms, but it only took four words to stop Roy Mustang in his tracks. “Did you love her?”

Brigadier Mustang turned back to the Lieutenant, his face painted with the same stoicism she’d given him hours ago. “I still do.” 

His cryptic answer seemed less than satisfying, but Riza didn’t press the issue further. 

“Why don’t you keep the letter?” Roy suggested. He folded the paper into fourths, and carefully placed it into her hands with the same care one would reserve for… “You never know, the military’s been making some pretty scary decisions lately, they might let you go. Then again, I could use a good soldier on my side.”

The two shared a glance, but it didn’t take long for Riza to put it together. With the letter unfolded and in front of her once more, new words He made themselves apparent. “You wrote one of these for each of us, correct? Don’t tell me they’re all the same.”

She’d seen that look before, his smirk seemed almost deadly, and Riza couldn’t help but smile back.

“No, they’re all personalized. It’s a shame too, they tore theirs up. I can rewrite them if you think that would be helpful, otherwise, I’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m actually taking on a personal case. Missing person. Highly influential. Any help you could offer would be appreciated. I’m on my own otherwise.”

Riza winced a bit. “Yeah, I'll see what I can do.” She was going to have to call off that woman from the prison… there was no telling what she might try.

He raised an eyebrow at her expression, but was confident she’d been convinced he was right. Turning on the heels of his boots, he walked out into the night, made glassy by light rain. Although the coat wouldn't fit him, he draped the coat over his shoulders, hoping to keep dry. In the moments that passed, it seemed the Flame Alchemist faded into the night with ease, but the red of Eva’s coat kept him in her sights. As the night finally took ahold of Lieutenant Hawkeye, she found herself craving a drink once more. Riza sat down, looked over the note one final time, and drowned the night with as much ale as she could handle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This week was really stressful, so I'm amazed this chapter even made it out on time! Let me know what you think, and don't forget to check out our tumblr page: http://tychius-sparks.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> If we get enough followers, we'll probably post updates as to what's going on there, and I'll even post some of my own artwork! - Becca


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

"How far along is she?" It seemed she was finally coming to. Eva winced, whatever that bastard forced into system did it's job. One shot to the arm, and a night of fighting went down the tubes. Was it even morning? At this point she couldn't tell.

"They told me five months, but I don't know how accurate that is. You can never really trust what they say." Though she'd recognized the first voice, this one was harder to place. Eva found herself struggling to open her eyes. "Help me pick her up, we've gotta get this info down before Envy gets back."

Kurt Hess? How long had it been since she'd heard his voice? With her eyes finally forced open, Eva drew back in shock. Mustang? What the hell was he doing here? Was he a part of this?

The figure before her didn't budge an inch, instead peering closer, bringing herself into focus. Although she was clearly a smallish Xingese woman in her mid-forties, there was something about her that cried Mustang. Her hair, cut short, was the same shade of black where it wasn't greying. Her eyes carried that same drive, muted over the years, but still present. In reaction to Eva's stares, she put a hand to her face. "Oh, please, don't tell me you've never seen a Xingese person before."

Eva tried to speak, but found her words jumbled. It wasn't the Colonel, but this was twice she'd come close. 

Kurt laughed at the idea. "This one's seen all sorts of things. Come to think of it, I think her superior was from Xing." 

What was her name? Somehow Kurt was the only one that came to mind. Eva shuddered knowing her name was going to be forgotten too.

Kurt gripped the back of Eva’s neck, and pulled up her hair, "Looks like they haven't branded her yet." It was a shame too. "Wish they'd go back to doing that when they're out. The new ones have the worst luck."

"It's not gonna be good for this one either." The woman sniffed, her expression a mask of boredom. "Envy couldn't stop babbling about the shit he wanted to do to her. She must've really done something nasty to him." She grinned a bit back at Eva. "Serves the fucker right, though."

Kurt scoffed, hoisting their newest resident to their scale. "Fuck...you sure she's at five?" If she was having a daughter, that couldn't be good. 

Eva tried to spit back a response, but found herself once again unable to speak.

Kurt laughed, and put two arms on Eva's hips to keep her in place. "What're we at here?"

The woman took a look at the scale, her eyebrows perking at the number. She glanced over Eva's body. "There's no way she's at fifteen percent body fat right now. She's been putting on weight." Glancing to a clipboard, the woman mouthed a few numbers to herself while jotting notes. "For your sake, I hope you've got a boy in there. Otherwise, you'll definitely be slimming down."

“Like fattening her up further’s gonna be any help.” Kurt huffed, lamenting over the situation. "What cell is she in again?"

She nonchalantly waved a hand in his direction. “Not decided yet… they always take forever to figure that out.”

She was starting to regain function in her hands, but Eva's legs proved unstable as Kurt's grip loosened. The Alchemist hit the floor, moaned, and stared up at her captors. Why was she helping them?

Roy’s doppelganger creakily squatted to the floor, holding her head at a great enough distance that she could make out the details of the armor-like limb. Her eyes widened at the fluidity of its movement.

"Don't tell me you've never seen automail before." Her words were finally working. Eva smirked at her own remark, but curled in on herself, finally realizing they'd left her nude. "F-fuck..."

Kurt noticed his superior's confused expression, before letting out a small ‘oh!’

"I'm sorry, Dai... you've probably never seen that, with it being new and all." He squatted down beside her, making contact with her knowledge hungry eyes. "It's a really fancy kind of prosthetic, almost as good as the real thing. The stuff's expensive enough that it's mostly the military that has it, but it's phenomenal."

She was entranced. "They really have something like that now? What else can they replace? Is it just limbs? What about eyes?"

Eva winced, glaring up at the two figures. "What the hell is this place?"

But the two paid her no mind, continuing on with their conversation. The Xingese woman took ahold of Eva's right arm, examining it in greater detail. "Can she manipulate the form of this through transmutation?" Each new resident seemed far more skilled than she'd ever been.

Kurt giggled at her astonishment. "I don't think they've been able to remake eyes. And, from what I remember, yes. That was one of Edward's favorite things to fight with... practically earned her the name 'Fullmetal.'"

"Fullmetal? That was her name?" The woman turned back to Eva. "You kids get the best names. You wanna know what they called me? The Lotus Alchemist... because I was from Xing. Can you believe that?"

How the hell did they know her name already? Eva finally found the strength to sit up, and it seemed her vision was returning to normal. Kurt looked to the young alchemist, and tossed her a hospital gown. "So, then...how far along are you?"

Eva scoffed at the question, holding her shirt to her. "First you tell me what this place is, and who you are. Then we talk. My name’s Eva, by the way. Evangeline Elric."

As if she was in a position to make demands.

"Heh... alright. I'll tell you who we are, but I don't think you're really going to care after the 'where.'" This girl, Eva, she was really something else. Trapped and powerless, but barking out demands? The woman wished she'd been that forceful in her youth. "Huojin Daiyu... midwife of the damned." She extended a hand in greeting. "I think you already know Kurt? He's pretty recent."

"That's some title." Eva laughed to herself for a moment, and pulled the clothes she'd been provided over her head. Not exactly the warmest. "You come up with that yourself?"

Still, she couldn't shake those eyes, Daiyu's gaze was too familiar. 

Kurt frowned. It was always harder to watch those like her fall.

Daiyu smiled. "Yeah... baby catcher of doom was already taken, so I had to make do." Her eyes softened when she noticed that she'd made Eva grin.  
Her expression changed, however, when she heard a series of locks being undone on the far door. Immediately, she and Kurt dashed to the opposite corner of the operating room, their heads down. Daiyu took one final glance at Eva, and mouthed "I'm sorry."

In sauntered Envy, taking a deep breath before meandering to the doorway. They rested their head on the moulding, looking inward at Eva, smug satisfaction radiating from their being.

The Alchemist grinned back, but kept her guard up. Sure she couldn't fight physically, but that didn't mean she didn't have a few words to share. "I don't know what you're so happy about. I've got a team comin' to get me, and I doubt they'll be happy about this."

"Oh, I'm shaking!" The homunculus feigned fear as they unlocked the door, striding inwards. "I don't think you need to worry about someone coming to save you for a while, though, and we can have plenty of fun until then." They ran a hand across her shoulder, eliciting a shiver from the girl.

"I don't need saving I just-" Eva found a finger over her lip. Did they really just try to 'shush' her? Come to think of it, they'd bitten her finger hasn't they? It was time to return the favor. She smirked, snapping down on their digit like a bear trap.

She was instantly greeted with the taste of fatty, greasy soil, wriggling between her teeth and into the back of her throat. Envy’s ring finger filled her mouth with slime as she tried her hardest to spit it out. She’d sunk her teeth into an earthworm. Fuck! Eva tried to pull away, but found herself held into place by their unnatural grip. 

"What? I thought you wanted to bite my finger off! Don't you want me to suffer like you are?"

Kurt gagged and went for the nearest bucket, but the Xingese woman stood in place, gauging the look on Eva's face. Though she looked as if she'd follow Kurt's example, the blonde kept steady, biting down harder.

"I want an update on my son, Envy. You went into town, that was the agreement." Daiyu demanded, staring them down with determination.

They took their hand out of Eva's mouth, allowing her to sputter and spit into her own lap. "I'll tell you when I'm done... you'll love what your boy did this time." They snickered, shoving Eva from her doubled over position back into her seat. Their face neared the alchemist's. "I'm gonna have to figure out if it's a boy or a girl. Gotta get Gluttony for that."

"Son?" Once again vomit found its way creeping up the back of Eva's throat. If this place was what she thought it was then-

Envy covered Eva’s mouth again, and once again a loud snap brought the others to attention. Then, they looked at Daiyu, a smile creeping across their face. "Go get Gluttony, worm. Don't let him eat you up before you come back." She quietly nodded, and ran off. That left Kurt, who Envy sneered at. "Did I say you could stay in here? Only one bitch at a time." Kurt's teeth clenched, but he took the chance to get out of the room, away from Envy. With everyone cleared, they turned back towards Eva, a grin creeping along their face. 

"You know... I was planning to do some awful shit to you. For a long, long time! But you're lucky, because Dante wants to use your body before you die. I figure that's alright though, because there would be nothing better than seeing my own mother wearing your corpse for about a month." The homunculus circled around her, growing closer with each moment. "But until then, I'm gonna make you hurt. Maybe even take a couple of potshots at that future miscarriage you've got in you, if she's a girl. God, I hope she's a girl. Nothing would make me happier than turning you into a goddamn skeleton."

"How long have you monsters been doing this? Was Roy the first? Or-"

Eva's questions came faster than she could process their words. She backed up, finding herself backed to the edge of the table. Envy only came closer, the Alchemist flinched, and delivered a reflexive punch to their gut.

That wouldn’t stand. Envy responded by slapping her face, sending her along with her chair to the ground. They then proceeded to kick the screaming girl in the chest. "Do you think you can really pull that down here? No one's coming for you! No one's coming!" They kicked her, roaring insults until she was reduced to a weeping pile on the floor. When the blows finally stopped, she could still feel them bearing down on her. 

The homunculus then grabbed Eva's automail, their fingers forming indents in the metal. "You won't need this any more..." The socket creaked as they began to pull on it like a weed.

It was then that the door finally swung open. Daiyu stepped in and out of the way, making room for the lumbering giant behind her. She shot a glance to their newest resident, but quickly averted her eyes before Envy could notice. 

Eva let out a sigh of relief, but that relief didn't last. Something shiny around her neck caught their eye. Shit.

Envy didn't even remove it from her neck. They took it and opened it, causing the band to dig into her skin. A grin cut their face in two. "A picture of you, Al, and mommy. I'm sure Sloth'll be flattered." Cogs turned in their head for a few moments before they tugged on it a bit harder. "Reminds my of my own mother. She wants your body, by the way. Her body's getting old, and you're the perfect little husk for that. A little big right now for her tastes, but that’ll change. You'll get to have the baby, then we'll do it." Their hand lingered on the necklace a moment longer before plucking it from her neck.

Gluttony, meanwhile, sniffed about the room, passively nodding to some of Envy's threats. "Can I smell her tummy Envy? I wanna have my snack for working." Drool tumbled down his gnawing mouth.

Envy nodded.

'Little?' That wouldn't stand. While the homunculus was distracted, Eva lunged, tackling them to the floor. Pinned beneath her, it was easy to keep them down. She took the opportunity when it came, delivering several punches to their face. Automail sure came in handy sometimes.

Envy turned back, red energy wiping the cuts and bruises off their face. Their hand coiled around Eva's neck, squeezing tighter until breathing became nigh impossible. 

It was then that they forced her back into her chair and latched the cuffs down tight. "Did that feel good, ya runt? Didja feel powerful then?" The other hand went silver as it took on the texture of metal, sharpening to an absurdly acute point. "I'll let you tell me what to do, then. Where should I poke you? Chest? Cheek? Leg?"

The tip of the spear hovered over her stomach. "You'd better tell me, or I'll go through the middle."  
She couldn't get her breath. Eva frantically looked to the Xingese woman for assistance, but found the woman obediently staring at the floor. 

Gluttony on the other hand inched closer. "Can I eat her? It's been too long! Too long!

Eva didn't know which to focus on, and she was running out of time. Fuck! In a moment of desperation, the Alchemist called to the only ally she had. "DONT JUST STAND THERE YOU BITCH, IT'S YOUR GRANDKID!"

The woman didn't even flinch.

Envy looked back at Daiyu, happy with the new information to play with. "You hear that? It really is a small world!" They laughed a bit. "Your little boy's been fucking around, can you believe that!"

Still no response from her.

"You're a boring little shit, you know that?" They turned their attention back to Eva. "You didn't tell me where. Guess you want the baby to get a piercing." The point dug into the spot just above her belly button.

Her scream was blood curdling, but with her arms restrained, there was nothing she could do. Eva tried begging. Begging for help, begging for mercy...she hasn't gotten to the point where she needed to beg for death yet. That would come later. 

Gluttony towered over her, his stomach growling at the sight. "Can I eat her please? Two for one!" The large lumbering homunculus began chanting. 

Luckily for Eva it was enough of a distraction from the pain to get out a labored, "Please..."

Daiyu raised her head, mentally taxed. After a moment of hesitation, her words were forceful and clear. "My boy would never fuck someone like her!"

It was enough to stop Envy from digging into her stomach and turn around. "Y-you think so? I mean, well... you're wrong, bitch!" Eva could feel the pain recede as the point was taking out of her, with Envy's limb reforming into an arm.

Daiyu, unfazed by Envy approaching, continued. "My son is only interested in making it to the top of this country, nothing more!" 

Thwack! Daiyu hit the floor, a kick to the stomach making sure she stayed down. "That's where you're wrong! You humans can't resist fucking whenever you want to! It makes you all so pathetic." Envy continued to beat her until blood leaked from her mouth, and Daiyu’s eyes were held shut. Unable to sob, she merely looked tired. 

With no one to stop him, Gluttony got close, bracing his hand on Eva's knee. All of a sudden the pain in her stomach shifted - he had to weigh a ton. His breath smelled like iron and something she couldn’t identify - before Eva could get up the courage to speak the creature ran his tongue up and down the wound. "I can taste it!" He repeated, clearly growing impatient with Envy's stalling. "Can I eat them? She's gonna starve anyway. If I wait she's going to be smaller.”

Envy swiveled, redirecting their abuse back around to Gluttony. They hit the other homunculus in the back of the head until flecks of blood and skull fragments littered the room. "No, moron, you have to smell the baby, tell me what it is. You eat after you do that."

"I did..." his voice became clearer as his head regrew. Had he? It didn't seem like it to Eva. But then, Envy had said something about turning her into a skeleton if she was having-

"A girl." He clapped his hands together, and Envy's face contorted into a sadistic smile. "Can I eat them?"

"No, Gluttony." Envy said, tracing a finger around the bleeding prick they'd put into Eva. "If you go back to your room, I've got a nice girl cut up just for you. Go and eat her up before she bleeds out."

Gluttony, eager to ease his hunger, sped past the woman who now lay suffering on the cold stone floor. As for Eva...

She couldn't help but stare to Roy’s mother. Would they even let her see this woman again? Fighting the pain, Eva did the best she could to tell her everything. "His name is Roy Mustang, I've been in love with him for four years. We were going to run to Xing together to get away from all this. He's gonna find us, I promise. I'm getting you out of here, okay?"

The older woman, curled up in her own pain, managed a murmur. "X...Xing's a shitty place... nothing but wet fields and judgmental family..." 

Envy gave the sore a forceful tap before their face darted to a position a few inches from Eva’s. "Did I say you could look away from me? It's really rude when you just start ignoring me like that." They pinched at the extra fat on her sides, pulling at it and letting it snap back. "I only have to give you eight hundred calories a day, and I don't nearly need to be as nice since you've got a girl in there." 

Only then did she realize what they'd meant - and Eva gave a naive smile. This pain was temporary after all, and if anything, it had given her the promise of a daughter. "Her name is Emily." She dared to fight back, asserting what little authority she had left. "You wanna talk about her? Use her name."

The gaul on this one. Sloth gravitated into the room, stepping over her midwife and making her way to the Alchemist. "Dear, she's not going to survive. Such a shame too. Waste of a term. Do you think Dante will let us use her again? She promised us one boy from her, after all."

Envy glared at Sloth, unhappy to be interrupted. "Dante won't last long enough for that... most of her body's red, and it's only gonna get worse. Even five months is pushing it." With the sight of Daiyu staring back, Sloth right next to them, it was as if everyone was conspiring to sabotage their torture plans. "If Dante wants a boy so bad... she can have it herself." That thought percolated in their mind for a few moments, dragging the corners of their lips downwards. "If she doesn't kill it with mercury this time."

"Has she been branded yet?" Sloth's voice held contempt and irritation, yet she seemed to bypass the Alchemist completely. "I thought I told you to do that first." Honestly, Envy wasted too much time on pointless endeavors. If she had the energy, she'd have broken this one right away. Pathetic.

"I'll do what I want, hag!" Envy crossed their arms while still pinning Eva with a leg. 

Still... the brand would probably hurt her a lot... Shit! They made a nasty face at the thought of proving Sloth right. "I'm gonna go get it, but not because you said so! It's only because I want to." They headed out, giving Daiyu another kick in the gut before walking out of the door.

The velvet clad woman used her opportunity well. Eva couldn't help but flinch back. Sloth's hand on her stomach elicit a kick from within. It was so good to see her here, strapped down, struggling... somehow it made those awful memories all the more worth it. Sloth patted her on the head, kissed her forehead, and whispered a soft 'good night, darling' before retreating through the door. 

And after everything else, it was that moment that pushed her over the line. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry here. It was weak but this...

This was too much. 

Daiyu lay bleeding on the floor...that was her fault too.

"I'm sorry..."

"I didn't mean for this to..." her voice trailed off. Could she even hear her?

The whimpers coming from Roy's mother slowly shifted in character, changing to exasperated laughs. She pushed herself upwards so that she was standing on wobbly legs, blood still dripping from her mouth. "Damn, Fullmetal. I don't think I've ever seen anyone they hate as much as you... you call Envy ‘it’ or something?" Her voice was raspy, but recovering faster than one might assume.

Hearing her name on the woman's lips felt almost chilling, and Eva straightened up as if she was addressing a military officer. "N-no ma'am, I just- I don't know what I did." As the midwife drew closer, Eva drew back in fear. Was she going to hurt her too? "Stay back." Though unlike with Envy, her voice was much less commanding.

Daiyu stopped immediately, raising her hands with a smile. "I was just gonna take a look at that cut. If it's big enough, they'll have to dress it. I can tell by looking at them. But if you don't want it..." she shrugged, closing her eyes for a moment, "More power to you."

Eva relented immediately, but didn't take her eyes off the door. Envy would be back soon, wouldn't they? As the older woman drew in, the Alchemist found herself wanting to justify the situation. "He's in love with me." She protested, though it seemed there was nothing to fight against.

"I lied, you know." Her voice was nonchalant as she gently peeled the bloody shirt from Eva's belly. "I was trying to get Envy interested in something besides you... he likes it when people start bickering, so I lied about not liking you." She made eye contact with Eva for a moment, smiling. "You're a nice girl from what I've seen of you... unless you aren't. I made the mistake of calling Kurt a girl when he first came in here, so he had to set me straight." 

She tapped her temple a few times. "I'm old... and from far away, you have to forgive me for that. You aren't like Kurt... are you?"

"Kurt's a guy?" The notion came as a shock, but it was just as well, Eva had already forgotten his original name. 

"Yeah... he's been pretty adamant about that." She finally got to the wound, holding her head back so she could get it into focus. 

Fuck- even the slightest touch now seemed to sting. Was that enough to kill the baby? She found herself gripping to the arm of the chair in her pain, but didn't take her eyes off the woman. Was she the first?

It was as if Daiyu had read her mind. She gave a calm, offhanded, "No way that got to the baby... I think Envy was more trying to scare you than anything. He was never gonna actually skewer Emily... Dante would've thrown a fit." Her hands guided the fabric back over her stomach. She giggled to herself, but her eyes grew glassy. "Heh... I'm gonna have a granddaughter."

"Roy came up with the name..." Eva was still in tears, but managed a smile. "He's a lot better at it than me..." what would she want to know about him? Did she need to know anything about her? "How long have you been here?"

"It was 1888 when they got me..." Daiyu's lip quivered as small inklings of tears formed in the corners of his eyes. She wanted to look strong for Eva, but found it hard in front of both her daughter-in-law and granddaughter. "You have to know Roy pretty well then... right? How is he, really? The homunculi never give me details."

Her mouth hung open as if she had an unspeakable number of questions, bit it was cut short by the sight of a shadow creeping towards the doorway, warped by a deep red source of light.

"You'll know soon enough. He's gonna find me, and get us outta here, okay?" Before Eva could say another word, Daiyu placed a hand the blonde's stomach. Emily's kicks were enough to bring the older woman to tears. Eva took her hand, her eyes connecting with Dai's "Hey, listen...you hate me." If they let on too fast, she'd lose the only lifeline she had. "Understand?"

She wiped a few tears from her eyes. For the first time in years, Dai’s smile was hopeful, even if it was as weak as before. "Yeah, you disgusting son fucker." Before Envy could make it to the lip of the door, the woman returned to her spot, prostrate on the floor.

Envy strutted in, holding a blowtorch in one hand and a brand in the other. The brand was the same shape as the tattoo on their leg. "You ready to become part of the family, runt?"

If only she had the control that Daiyu did. Eva's tears were far more noticeable, though lucky for her, they were enough of a distraction from her wound that Envy didn't notice the care she'd been given. "I'm not a runt, you bastard." Though her emotions betrayed her words, they were forceful and flaming.

The homunculus let out a snort, holding the blowtorch to the tip of the brand until it was red hot. "You know, I never did think you were quite human, this is gonna be really fitting for you. After all, you’ve got that bastard’s blood too. We might as well have the same mark too." They walked forward a few feet, holding the symbol in front of her to see. "I'm gonna put it someplace you can't hide. Not that you'll have to live with it very long."

From the floor, Daiyu winced. This part was never easy.

Eva sneered, reacting quickly and delivering a kick between their thighs. Sparks flew as their brand clattered to the floor. It was hard for Daiyu to hide her delight. Her son, evidently, had good taste in women.

Envy's face went red as the iron. "You just don't get how fucked you are, do you? You think that if you hit me enough, I'll just go away? It doesn't work that way, and it never will." They scooped the brand up once more, holding it threateningly close to her legs as they circled. "You're gonna become a fucking skeleton, have a damn miscarriage, and then lose your soul!" 

They forcibly took a handful of the girl's hair, pulling it upwards to expose a section of her neck. Wasting no time, Envy drove the iron into the back of her neck, the searing and smoking of burning flesh filling the room.

The wail she let out was louder than any Daiyu had heard in her years held prisoner. It seemed they only dug deeper into her flesh, some of her hair scorching on impact. Cooked human...the scent was all too familiar to everyone in the room. As she bit down for comfort, Eva felt her daughter pressing, fighting against her stomach. 

She couldn't speak...

Not a word…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience. We put a lot of effort into this one! Hope you like it! - Becca


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! We're gonna be returning to our normal schedule next week (4/9/2017) . If you haven't read the chapter we posted last Monday (03/20/17) go back and read! We've got a lot in store there. Thanks for reading! All comments and kudos are appreciated!

The Hughes residence. Riza couldn't remember the last time she'd been at their doorstep, and coming here for Roy felt all the more insulting. In the night since their encounter, she's only grown more suspicious of his message. How could Eva be a fake? Even if she was, that didn't excuse his behavior. 

It was time to bite the bullet. Riza knocked at the door, only withdrawing Roy stepped out. He hadn't slept - that much was clear; and it seemed he hadn't changed out of his uniform either. Still, as disheveled as he seemed, the solider's eyes lit seeing her standing there.

"I wasn't sure you'd come." He laughed, cautiously rubbing the back of his neck.

She stared back at him through half-lidded eyes. "Your code was terrible. I have no idea how it made it through any serious inspection." She leaned in on the doorway, taking up the opening. "I'm interested in what you have to say. You better not be nuts."

Honestly, she had a feeling that if he did kill her, then he would probably go to great lengths to justify it.

"Believe it or not, the others were almost worse." Roy ushered the Lieutenant in, pushing past several records and rough illustrations. The place was dimly lit, and it seemed Gracia and Elicia had let the Colonel have run of the living room, and pillow were blanket tossed haphazardly across their sofa. 

"Do you still want the other letters? What has everyone said?" He seemed hopeful, determined, and more than eager to hand off Eva's file. "Those two Colonels managed to get me her record. I'm gonna need you to track down the truck she was taken in. Al and Winry ended up in Central, but we’ve got nothing on the one she was in. I need you to get that for me."

The lieutenant blinked a few times at his request. "Excuse me?"

Roy pressed the file to her hand, “That wasn’t the real Eva. I need you to find out where she ended up.”

Maybe he was going insane, trying to justify a decision that required a snap of the mind in the first place. She wasn't the ‘real’ Eva? What the fuck was he on? Perhaps in his message it seemed probable, but hearing it out loud?

Still, she was trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Col...Brigadier, I'd have to find out the licence number of the truck, and that information is most likely nonexistent, or fabricated."

"This is promotion is only temporary. As soon as she's secured, we're leaving for Xing. Colonel will do." He went back to sorting through eyewitness testimonies. "Every record and paper you read stays here, understood? It was enough of a hassle to get these out of the offices. If anyone of us is caught with these, it's grounds for treason."

He wasn't answering any of her questions…

She turned around and headed back towards the door. "Nope... I'm not gonna put up with this cryptic Mustang shtick anymore. Either you tell me what the hell's going on, or you don't get my help at all." From what she saw, it looked like he needed it.

"Her clothes didn't fit." Roy stated it as if it were enough to push her over the edge - but if anything, it pushed Lieutenant Hawkeye to the other side.

"My God, Roy... is that really the hunch you're working off of? The only hint you've got? You do know alchemy works on clothes, right? All they needed was a little leather and cotton and they could have made it all fit!" She had been holding back a lot of exasperation, and couldn't keep it bottled any longer. "Did you really just kill Eva over something so small? Or was there something more to it?" Riza let out a nervous huff, finally bringing her fears to the forefront of her mind. “None of this is real, Roy! You just want to be the goddamn hero again!”

Roy didn't speak, relying on one of Eva's old reports to do the talking for him. 

It was about as sparsely worded and detached as he was. Just one of Eva’s homunculus drawings and notes on an old military lab.

Riza's eyes scanned the pages, about ready to walk. What the hell did Lab Five have to do with anything? All these loose ends...did he really think she'd buy this? Riza was floored…

She placed a hand to her face, eyeballing the raggedy man with more malice than she'd given him before. "Roy... this is madness. I really think you're trying to justify this to yourself. What other evidence do you have of this? What would they even want to fake women's deaths for? Human transmutat-" The words left her lips with the same tinge of violent questioning that she'd used before... but thinking about it made it seem all the more possible. The women they did take were Alchemists, after all.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she resumed her interrogation, more reserved this time. "If they are abducting female alchemists... how are they faking them? You saw Eva, she couldn't have been a dummy. She screamed when you burned her, backpedaled, everything. She was even pregnant to the same degree. Do you think they can transmute faces somewhere?"

"Did you read the reports on Lab five?" Roy challenged, speaking as if someone's life depended on it. "She wrote about creatures that come pretty damn close. See for yourself. I've got work to do." 

He pushed the files into her hands, and promptly returned to the floor. Somewhere in this mass of papers had to be some kind of clue. They'd said they needed her on that mission, right? Were they keeping her alive? How far up did this go?

Roy seemed to completely forget the woman in the doorway…

She lingered for a moment, but there didn’t seem any point in staying. It seemed as though it only took the drop of a hat to get Roy worked up into this state, and all the while he was pushing people away for it. Didn't he have any duties to attend to as a brigadier?

Still, Riza was a busy… busier than him, anyways, and wasn't going to bother with hesitation. She was gonna tell her team what had just gone down, get their input, and then hopefully shut this case before it opened, Roy's drama be damned. 

First, though, she had to make a visit to the hospital.

 

When she'd visited Al the day before, he'd seemed hopeful, determined... the light for his eyes had been bright that day. In visiting the Rockbell girl, Riza wouldn't find any of the optimism Alphonse had. She'd hardened like ice, and her glare carried the same coldness.

"How'd he do it?" Winry asked. Her left arm was gone, and it was clear to the Lieutenant this girl knew exactly what she'd lost. "I know it was him. He killed my parents, why stop there?" Somehow, despite inclination, Winry almost felt the Colonel had made it his goal to take everything she cared about. "Did he kill Al too? No one's told me where he is."

"Al's with an old teacher of his, I think. Tallish woman, black hair, alchemist... perhaps you know her?" Riza was unsure of what to make of Roy, so she tried her best to steer clear of the elephant in the room. All things considered, though, this woman had the most reasons to hate the man to death. Her eyes kept drifting back to the bandages on the left side of her body, smoothly joining her shoulder and torso.

That was one question answered, but Winry wasn't about to stop there. She stiffened, turned to the Lieutenant, and with a fire in her eyes, she asked again. "How'd he do it?" After a moment of silence, Winry's expression shifted; she managed a pitiful laugh. Of course she wasn't talking. "You're his fiancé, aren't you? I guess I'm asking the wrong person..."

"Ex-fiance!" She blurted. Winry's implication was enough to get immediate denial from the lieutenant. "Roy and I broke up before he left to go find her... and there's no way I'd want him to marry me after all he's done." As much as she wanted to share the information she knew about Roy now, she couldn't dare. There was no telling what was real yet.

Standing before this girl she hardly knew, Riza found herself a bit standoffish. "Winry... there's something important I need to figure out when it came to Eva... did you see the type of truck they loaded her into?" It was a longshot... would Winry have even cared, having lost her arm at the same time?

It took Winry a while to get her thoughts together. Normally she'd had a keen eye for details like that. It helped when it came to prosthetics, but everything that day had happened so fast. "Tall, green, the back was a metal frame covered in canvas, and the model looked a couple of years behind the times. You could tell because it didn’t have an all-metal body for dangerous prisoners." 

She recalled their encounter as best as she could. "They put her right across from me and Al. I guess she'd gotten farther out than I thought." Winry pulled from the blankets a worn red coat, faded but sharp and in tact. "She gave this to me before they took her away..." it was all she had left.

Riza squinted at the sight of the jacket. Didn't Roy have one like that? Furthermore, Roy had mentioned a second truck. "I... I'm uncertain where you got that from, Winry... Eva let Roy borrow her coat before she was taken... he even has it with him. Does she have several of that kind?"

Winry shut her eyes, pulling the jacket to her. So she was still talking to the Colonel. "I just told you. She gave it to me. He's lying to you." She put the coat to her face for a moment. It hardly even smelled like her anymore. Eva always smelled of oil and steel, but that came with the automail. After all they'd been through yesterday, she wasn't surprised it smelled more of gunpowder and dust. That didn't mean it wasn't worth missing.

She paused for a moment at the patient’s words. "Heh… that would be typical, wouldn’t it? No... no, I saw him with it, right after Eva left it at a party. He’s a liar, but that would be a bit far-fetched for him." Unless he was trying to cover up her death. Why would he do that when he'd killed her in public, though? Riza had more questions than answers at this point, and was slowly losing trust in everyone. Was Roy manipulating her again?

"And how long ago was that?" She turned to stare at the woman once more, and brushed her hair out of her eyes. 

Riza's eyes drew to the red crossed coat, studying for any possible sign of imitation. While it may have been well reproduced, tell-tale square tabs lined some of the more complicated bits of the robe’s construction, and there were no signs that the coat was sewed together. Yet another case for Roy. 

"Was that all you needed?" Winry's voice sounded almost like hers had at that age. Now dampened by grief, Riza found it hard not to think about the people she'd lost herself.

She smiled a bit. "Yeah... that was all I needed, but what about you?" The woman paused for a moment, scanning about to make sure no one was around. "They're going to take you down to the prison once you can get out of here... I'm going to arrange for you to go missing before that happens, if that's alright with you." She took a deep breath, wiping her eyes. "I know what it's like to lose someone you never expected to lose... it might not seem like there's much hope now, but taking care of yourself is imperative."

Winry nodded, and pulled Eva's coat over her shoulders. "I'll be fine." She looked to the Lieutenant, faked a smile, and turned back to the window. "You know, at least you know how he really is now. That must make it easier..."

"Oh, believe me... I wish it were that simple right now. It would leave so much more clear." She followed Winry's line of sight out of the window, staring deeply into the way that the sunset played with the clouds, smattering them with flecks of warm color against the honeyed sky. "I can't tell you much about why, honestly, and I wish I could more than anything in the world." 

Riza's heart dropped, unhappy to have to play the role of the shifty bastard in Roy's stead.

To give him credit, though, it really didn’t seem like Roy was making things up this time. The picture of the homunculus that Roy showed her suddenly began to make a lot more sense. Transmuting someone to look and sound exactly like her wasn’t impossible. Eva had interacted with creatures that looked human, but were fully able to transmute their bodies. If they were involved, and the human transmutation labs were involved…

There was no telling what state--or species--Eva was right now.


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The 5 month hiatus is finally at an end! 
> 
> So, Riley and I have parted ways, but I will be continuing this story because it's a story that needs to be told. Please wish Riley the best, they're a really cool person. This month, I'm moving into my new school in Chicago, so I may not update as frequently, but I'm still dedicated to writing this story.
> 
> I'll be back next Monday with a new chapter
> 
> Also, let me know if you want me to make a discord server for discussion! I'd love to talk about HME with you guys. Thank you for your patience! Enjoy the chapter!

It was never dark in the facility. The dingy lights were always a constant presence, illuminating the scum in the corners of the rooms a sickly yellow green. There was no way to tell what went on in these rooms before, but Eva was forced to consider, finding it futile to sleep on the uncomfortable cot her beaten body had been placed on. Her hands were even bound with rope, and the hours in the trap had created painful bloody spots where it had chafed in the night. Across from her, Roy’s mother - a woman that she never knew existed - snored on the floor, accustomed to the constant misfortune.

By the time that Daiyu roused herself from sleep, Eva’s searing eyes had finally closed. The older woman smiled at her uneasy rest while cracking the bones in her neck, trying to get the discomfort of the floor out of her body as quickly as possible. A few ants crawled out of the creases of her shirt, which she promptly picked out and shoved into her mouth. She had work to do today. As she brought herself to her feet, her gaze gravitated to Eva’s stomach. It was impossible not to wince at the thought of what they were going to do to that little girl in there. It’s not like she could change it, though.

Their cell door was left unprofessionally open, so that Dai could go about her duties in the morning; when her captors were busy working on some project that she could only guess at. Perhaps there was another facility? It filled her with a bit of dread to know that there might be others like them, but it was a thought she’d been entertaining ever since they’d had to move their lab from the countryside. For all she knew, this operation could be so much larger, not that she’d be able to fathom that. The only reason she even knew they were in the country back then was a glimpse of the outside she got a decade ago. At least, she thought she saw it… she could have hallucinated it.

The midwife ran her fingers through her hair, taking in as much stale, sweaty air as her lungs would allow. That was enough brooding for the week. She scanned over the other cells taking stock of all of the other inmates, locked in cages that Daiyu wished she could throw open. Kurt, Alva, Vasha, Freyja, Na’ilah…and now Eva.

Kurt propped himself against one of the bars. He yawned, frowned, and shook his head at the sight. "Guess they kicked ya to the curb for the new one. Sorry, Dai..." She'd just gotten that bed back too. Though weighed down by exhaustion, his eyes then drifted to the Alchemist that had taken her place. "At least she's taken to sleeping well. First night's always rough. With as feisty as that one was, I thought she'd be up all night."

Dai smiled, the skin in the corners of her eyes squeezing together with warmth, in contrast to her words. "You should have seen how badly they beat the shit out of her... She deserves all the rest she can get. The way Envy was making it out to be, I think she's gonna need a lot more than this." She looked down at her crude tallies before her eyes drifted to a few shapes she'd written in the corner of her paper as a reminder.

"Envy babbled to me about the girl they fed Gluttony this morning... You didn't know her, but she was a good friend of mine and a lot of the girls here. This'll be yours and Eva's first eulogy." She tried to keep up the smile, but the strain was noticeable.

This had to be the one Daiyu kept talking about. The fighter… Kurt shivered at the thought, but at least the chances of winding up like one of them was finally dropping. "Thank god we've got Sloth in charge now, I guess." He couldn't help but feel relieved he'd come after she'd taken command. "At least we've got someone holding Envy's leash..." From what Kurt knew that hadn't always been the case, and based on Envy’s ‘experiments’ the whole group benefited from having Sloth around.

“How badly was she cut up?” At this point it hurt to ask, and Daiyu’s expression was hardly reassuring, but Kurt had to know. Sure, these things weren’t exactly open casket, but there was a morbid side to the man that needed to know how far Envy could take it. Still, his question made the midwife flinch.

Daiyu gathered her thoughts, her eyes scanning over their latest inmate before turning her attention back to Kurt. “Let’s just remember her for who she was. I doubt Vasha would want her memory wasted on what she became.”

Despite Daiyu’s efforts, the name was familiar to Kurt, but to him the memory was hard to stomach. Come to think of it, “Hey, did she get the tour yet or just-”

The midwife shook her head.

“Damn…” Kurt shivered at the idea. “What do you think they’ve got against her? You ever seen that kinda’ hatred from Envy?” It was a question he never thought he’d have to ask.

She snorted at the statement. "Hatred? From Envy? Why... why ever would you say such a thing?" 

Kurt responded with an overly loud sigh, exasperated given the circumstances. Noticing his souring expression, she stopped herself and changed gears. "I mean... Eva got a few potshots in on Envy when she was free... served the fucker right, but now he's being pissy about it. Power fantasy and whatnot." She cackled a little bit. Daiyu couldn't help herself... she always got giggly when she was supposed to be sad.

Kurt shifted, getting in a laugh as well before returning to reality. His shoulders sagged, and it wasn't long before he shot another glance to their new resident. "Sloth wanted you to check Na'ilah's progress. I thought I should let you get at least some rest before today."

Kurt shivered, and walked back to his cot. He flopped down, pulling a tattered blanket over his shoulders. By now, he'd grown used to the damp smell of mildew that clung to these rags; but it seemed even now that it was less like a sheet, and more like an old towel. "She's almost at 30, right?"

Dai shot a sympathetic glance to Kurt, feeling his pain. "Don't worry K, you don't have to go see Na'ilah if you don't want to... I know her weight makes you nervous." She smoothed the covers over him and then walked off, turning her head to look back at the shaken man. "And she's thirty one, by the way. She's just short." 

At the mention of 'short', Eva feebly punched the air and let out a small shriek.

Kurt let out a huff, shaking his head at the blonde. "I'd stay away from that word if you're sharing a cell with that one." Kurt didn't know much about Fullmetal, aside from her knack from causing collateral damage, but her reputation was something that couldn't be ignored.

Daiyu responded with a short "Gotcha" and made the trek to the cages on the north end of the laboratory. Although the significantly smaller containers were not more than a few dozen meters away, the walk always felt like a descent into a deeper world. It was closer to the grisly bits of the facility in the next room over, and the off-putting odor of rotting flesh and bodily fluids bored that much deeper into the nostrils.

After what used to feel like a walk of miles, but was only now a daily ritual for Daiyu, she made it to Na'ilah's cell. From behind the bars, a skeletal figure looked back at the older woman. She grinned with teeth too big for her face, which was merely skin stretched overtop a skull at this point. Daiyu's eyes drifted over her bare torso, her breasts were reduced to empty flaps hanging over a stomach that would have been sunken to reveal the organs beneath, were it not for the distension caused by the baby she carried.

Na'ilah didn't have the energy to rush to Daiyu's side like she used to, but managed to hobble over to her friend as the door to her cell was pulled open. The woman's voice sounded more like a suction valve than the songbird quality it once held. Still, the fact that she could still speak was something she was thankful for. 

She leaned against one of the walls for support, and brushed a few strands of white hair from her view. It was starting to fall out.

"Is she still alive?" 

The poor woman always managed to get too attached. "I remembered the perfect name last night. She's going to be Lei-nah. It means Sandstorm."

The Xingese woman gave a grin, as genuine as she could muster. "That's beautiful, Na'ilah... perfect name for her." If the baby was still alive in her womb, that was. All things considered... she didn't really see much hope for the baby, and wanted to get the woman to her eulogy as quickly as possible. It wasn't the first one that either of them had done, and Vasha's death was one that Dai found herself painfully determined to mourn over.

"I felt her last night." She smiled, her face pulled taught to reveal cheek bones. In another reality, they might not have been her most prominent feature, but here they were as sharp as her blood red eyes. "Do you think she'll come early? I wanna hold this one." 

It seemed the woman had a feeling this child would be her last, but no matter - she was going to be perfect. Na'ilah could feel it.

Na'ilah's passion was something of an odd fixture in the facility, and her idealism tugged at Daiyu's heartstrings. She wished with all her heart that this woman would get to hold her baby. "With any luck, dear, she'll come along in just another month. If we're lucky, you'd be able to hold her for a whole day... wouldn't that be nice?"

The Ishballen reached for the midwife's hand, and the two slowly made their way toward the examining table situated square in the corner of her cell. For someone like her, it paid to have such a fixture close at hand. Still, the reality of her situation wasn't fully lost on the Ishballen. "You really think Envy will allow something like that?" She wheezed out a laugh, and braced herself on the table. 

Daiyu gripped the woman's hips, and lifted her to the table, giving a reassuring smile. The smile Na’ilah returned was as genuine as Dai’s was false. “Let’s just see what we have here.” She pressed a hand to Na’ilah’s stomach, and retrieved their only stethoscope from beneath the examination table. “Were you able to count how often she’s kicked in the last few hours?”

Na’ilah nodded, immediately calling an amount to mind. “Eight. Eight is good right?” She shivered, reaching out for a blanket that wasn’t there. Na’ilah settled, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth instead.

Daiyu smiled. “Yes, eight is a good number.” Putting the stethoscope in her ears and to Na’ilah’s abdomen, Daiyu took a deep breath and listened intently. Lei-nah’s heartbeat was loud and clear. A good sign. “She’s a strong one.” Daiyu slid the stethoscope back in it’s place, and drifted back to Na’ilah’s cot, retrieving her blanket, and draping it over the woman’s shoulders. Any child that could survive on what they gave Na’ilah had to be. 

“How much longer?” There couldn’t be much time left, right? “Freyja’s been tracking my progress, and she says I’m nearly full term.” Six successful pregnancies had to count for something, not to mention the woman’s eye for detail. 

The midwife faked another smile, and shifted her gaze to the woman in the adjacent cell. The stress of four boys weighed heavy on Freyja’s body - but upon hearing her name, she sprouted up like a shadow.

“How are they doing Dai?” Freyja asked, her rich voice almost a whisper.

“Lei-nah’s a strong one.” Daiyu’s smile softened when she knew Na’ilah couldn’t see her expression. 

Freyja took notice of the small change. “Na’ilah, how ya feeling today?”

With Daiyu’s help, Na’ilah dropped from the table, and stumbled over to the edge of her cell. If Dai was out and walking then that meant…

Daiyu pulled the cell open, wasting no time in helping her friends to each other. “We lost Vasha last night…” A small light in Freyja’s eyes drained at her mention, “but we’ve also got a new resident.” It wasn’t like that evened things out, but perhaps it would ease the blow a little. They’d been here too long to know about Kurt, so Dai knew they’d have little hope of recognizing their youngest ‘recruit’. “Already branded, and a little young, but she beat the shit outta Envy.” The smirk on her face was purely vitriolic. The other two smiled in agreement. She was in good company. 

“What’s the new one’s name?” Freyja asked.

“Eva.” Daiyu’s smile turned sour however. “Poor thing is having a girl…. But,” her smile returned with vigor, “she’s got a lot of fight in her. I can’t wait to see what she’s capable of.” Daiyu dropped her voice and leaned in closer to the two others; Freyja bent down to comply. “My boy chose a good one.”

Na’ilah laughed, unsure of what she meant, but Freyja understood at least some of the situation immediately; the smile on her face spread like flames. “She’s Roy’s-”

Daiyu nodded, cupping Freyja’s lips with her palm before she could continue. “We’re gathering over the pit to share memories, I’m sure you’ll get an introduction there.” At the very least, they’d have plenty of time before lockdown to get acquainted.

Before she could speak, Freyja gripped Na’liah’s hand and squeezed it tight, keeping her steady. Her tenor-toned voice seemed as gentle as her words. “I’m sure that, at the very least, we can give them a warm welcome.”

The Xingese midwife looked back toward her own cell, oddly uneasy away from her new cellmate. Continuing Business as usual seemed impossible given what she knew. Though the family she’d made here hadn’t changed, the false promise of one bound by blood was practically magnetic. It didn’t take much for her to find an excuse to return to her cell, but guilt drilled into Dai’s stomach in leaving. “I’ll round up the others,” she addressed Freyja this time, their eyes locking just a moment before Daiyu continued, “Do you think you and Alva can help her over?” In truth, Daiyu’s question wasn’t exactly a question of ‘if’, rather she needed to know she’d be alright returning to her granddaughter. Freyja saw through her facade without even a moment’s doubt, acquiesced, and together, she and Na’ilah made their way toward Alva’s cell. 

Daiyu couldn't help but wince upon returning. Only away eight minutes and Eva was gnawing at her bindings. "You know, I left you to rest. All that's gonna do is break your teeth." 

Eva didn't have the energy to respond, but the glare she sported was enough to get the message across. How'd she manage to fall into a family as smug as this one? Hell, she'd never even met her son, and this woman matched him tenfold. 

Across the way, Kurt snickered, finally over his first bout of morning sickness. "She's been up since you left. Gotta hand it ya though, Elric. Never seen someone so determined."

The blonde alchemist shifted as Daiyu walked in. Despite the searing pain at her neck, and her aching bruises, Eva sat up, staring the woman down. "I'm not staying here another night. We're getting out of here."

Dai’s frown couldn't have expressed more remorse if she'd tried, but she approached the blonde anyway. It took some doing, but with time, the ropes around Eva’s wrists snapped apart, leaving her left arm scraped to hell. “If that were an option, do you really think we’d be here?” She lent a hand and hoisted the blonde to her feet. 

It was then that Eva finally noticed the woman's height. They were almost eye to eye. Eva's attention snapped back to the point the minute Daiyu tried to lead her out of their cell. "That doesn't mean we can't fight back." After all, how long had it been since Envy'd reared their ugly head? From what she could tell, they'd been alone long enough to at least attempt a breakout. If their cells were unlocked, it couldn't be that hard, after all. Given everything they'd been through so far... "Don't you think it's worth the risk?"

Daiyu placed a hand on Eva's shoulder, her eyes connecting with Kurt's for a moment. It didn't take long for Kurt to get the message. "Why don't we introduce you to the others? Dai's giving tribute today." 

His expression was hard for Eva to pinpoint, but it didn't take long for her to shift focus. No windows, no doors... She'd seen this place before, or the layout at least. Only in passing by a familiar air duct that things began to click. Though not altered by alchemy, and clearly defined, Eva knew this place. There was no questioning what she'd stumbled across in Risembool anymore, they'd found an abandoned birthing facility. 

Eva's heart caught in her chest as at last, Daiyu and Kurt brought her to a metal sheet across the floor. She knew all too well what lay beneath. Dai squeezed her hand, once again pulling the blonde back down to reality. One look to the other prisoners and she was beginning to see why fighting back would be difficult. 

The woman to her right gripped Eva's hand tight, and immediately began rubbing her thumb against one of the bolts that kept her automail in tact. It seemed in her time here, she'd grown so large that it became impossible to know how far along she was. Situated at the woman's side stood someone that may as well have been a skeleton. It was as if their captors had stripped away everything except the child she carried, leaving dark ironed skin, and eyes that could only be Ishballen.

Finally, bringing their total to six, stood someone that had to be only a few years younger than Daiyu. She was stiff, and seemed to only tense further as the midwife spoke.  
"I think there's something to be said for reliving loss, even on days like today. Vasha is no longer with us, but in many ways, this only adds permanence to something we've been denying for months." Daiyu's voice cracked beneath the weight of it all as she finally came to grips with the situation. "Or, at the very least, I've been denying." 

She had to take a moment, and though Daiyu was never one for tears, a few managed to gather on her cheek as she continued. "I'd like to think there's something we can learn from Vash. Sometimes, just staying alive is all you can do to make things easier, even if you've got nothing to gain. She gave every bit of what she had to this place, her arms, her legs, eyes...her voice...but despite all they stole, those bastards couldn't take her soul. Vasha lives on in our memories, and no matter how twisted her image came to be, that's something they can never erase. She was kind, she was honest; and above all else, she never stopped believing that someday, everything would be alright."

Dai squeezed Eva's hand tighter, seemingly reaching for at least some sign of light in this prison. Evangeline drew in a deep breath and squeezed back. 

Something in the silence that followed seemed to solidify the group, and when Eva looked up, she found all eyes turned uncomfortably on her. What did they expect her to say? But then...if Vasha's death was a reward for what happened last night, was this her fault? Emily delivered a well deserved kick to the gut, and within seconds the blonde owned up to her actions.

"I-I'm sorry I got your friend killed."

Across the way, Kurt scoffed at the idea, but Daiyu spoke up again, this time directly to their newest resident. "Lives are lost to this place every year, Eva. Your life wasn't a price she paid for." There was something unsettling about the way she spoke, but it was enough to set Eva at ease. "I think they just want to get to know you."

When it got down to it, what all did Eva have to say about herself? None of it mattered in here, and the life she'd built for herself outside these walls wasn't even her own. Given a moment to think, she settled on what she knew to be true. 

"My name's Evangeline Elric. I joined the military to fix a mistake I made, and now I'm stuck here because of a different one." It seemed as though they were expecting more, but after everything she'd been through, it was all she had left. 

Maybe that was all they needed, though, Kurt's grin was half hearted, but its presence was undeniable, and the others seemed satisfied as well. As for their stories...they'd have to come in time. For now, it didn't matter. They weren't alone, and for now, that was worth the strength it took to stay alive.


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry I'm late updating. SAIC has been a whirlwind. Only a week in, and I already have a squad. I may end up posting every two weeks given the pace of everything. I don't think I've ever been this social/happy before, though. Side note: I am now on Central time, meaning it is only 11 here. I will be posting at 12 Central time from now on.

With only a week passed her death, it seemed like all the fear surrounding Eva's had dwindled. Now that the Alchemist was allowed to be a topic of conversation, it seemed every soldier had thoughts on the situation at hand - and that made the all the more difficult for Roy Mustang to come into work on a daily basis. Mostly, the Brigadier avoided the cafeteria at all costs, but there were days when even that couldn't helped.

"Look at the good she did? Are you kidding me? What major victories does Elric even have?" It was impossible to go through the day without hearing her name, and hearing anything positive about her was certainly uncommon.

"Liore's on heading for a civil war now because of her actions with that priest - you think that's heroic? You can't just destroy a figurehead in a climate like that - we're losing men everyday because of her actions. Hell, not to mention the money property damage she caused after that run-in with that Ishballen. Soldiers are supposed to follow orders, and I don't know about you, but I've got it on good authority that that pipsqueak had issues with her superiors. So yeah, I'm glad they burned her to a crisp, I'm just pissed I wasn't the one to do it." The major took a moment to finish off his mug of coffee before making eye contact with the newly appointed Brigadier, and giving him a nod of respect. By now, Roy Mustang hadbecome the pinnacle of restraint. 

"He was her superior, though. Bet that guy'd been waiting for years to put that bitch in her place."

Today, Roy took a seat next to his fiancé, and the two began to sort through wedding venues, rather than the paperwork that came with such a large promotion. It seemed for them, the world had returned to normal. Somehow, despite civilian outrage, and political scandal, things were just as they'd always been. It was the perfect cover.

With all of Eva's belongings destroyed or confiscated, leads were hard to come by. Once again, Roy found himself lamenting over the loss of his best friend. Hughes would have known exactly where to look. Having Riza on his side was certainly a plus, and with luck, the others would soon follow suit.  
"Did you get the invitations sent out?" Roy's tone was pure pedestrian at this point, but there was no masking the fire in his eyes.

Riza, on the other hand, was hardly optimistic. After everything they'd seen, it was unsurprising the rest of the team wanted no part in all this. Hard evidence was hard to come by, and it seemed that's what they needed. Hell, on days like today, it was easy to question it all.

"Two days ago - we've heard back from Armstrong, but as far as the others go, chances are slim. If I'm remembering correctly, October has always been difficult for scheduling." 

With Eva gone, Roy Mustang climbed the ranks faster than any soldier had managed before, and here Riza was with a ring around her finger again. The flame alchemist had gotten exactly what he always wanted, and all it had taken was a snap of his fingers. Reality left a bad taste in her mouth, but with everything they'd gathered about the incident at lab 5, it seemed Roy's drive wasn't misplaced. 

Riza smiled, and slid a list of locations over to her superior. "I've been looking at venues and dates, by the way. Do you have time this morning, or-"

Roy downed his cup of coffee, and took a look at the list before plunging the tattered paper into his pocket. There would be time enough to study the code in more detail once he returned to his office. "I think I need to head back, but I'll be home tonight with a decision, darling."

As it stood no one paid too close attention to the order they'd planned things out, and the two played that card to their advantage all too well.

Riza answered with silence, and an ice cold smile; but both grimaced as Roy planted a sterile kiss on her forehead. It was convincing enough to fool those around them, but no longer enough to hide their disdain for each other. His hand lingered on her shoulders only a moment before going to reclaim the paperwork he'd scattered on the table, taking care to insure nothing was left behind. Sure, they had most of these assholes fooled, but Roy couldn't escape the fact that they were being watched.

Somehow, Central command always smelled like coffee and old news papers in October. Perhaps on their own the pair might have been relaxing, and they'd certainly been so in the past, but now?

October itself seemed to be taunting him, as if the month had set everything out - all a reminder of Eva's absence. After three flights of stairs and a few hallway 'pleasantries' the Brigadier at last found solitude in his big empty office. Finally to his desk, Roy pulled up a chair, and shot a glance to his calendar. He winced - October third. Of course it was the third.

Roy took a breath, and let his sorrow propel him deeper into the investigation. He had to hand it to Riza, her codes were always near impossible to unravel. For nearly a solid minute, he stared, entertaining the idea that perhaps the chapels and dates listed were just that. Given two more minutes, however, names slowly became apparent.

Na'ilah Shki  
Olive Delivae  
Freyja Kasc  
Hedwig Case  
Celise Elmro  
Diana Hess  
Ahji Erwin  
Vasha Molni

Each name matched with the date of their deaths. Now, this was something they could go on. Sure, they'd have to be discrete, but their records had to be available somewhere. Finally they'd taken a step in the right direction. Once he got Falman and Fuery back, maybe they-

Fuck.

The door swung open, and before he could react, in stepped the Fuhrer himself, accompanied by two familiar faces. The Brigadier tensed, stood, and saluted - unable to shield the of names in time. Perhaps he wouldn't notice? That wasn't a risk he was ready to take. In an effort to prevent catastrophe, he wasted no time in approaching his superior, colonels' Anna Bacman and Cody Amore. 

"Fuhrer Bradley, just checking in, I take it?" Roy's facade was impenetrable; though perhaps if one managed to break through - they'd find his mental state more matched petrified wood - rather than solid steel. Why wouldn't it, though? The last time he'd seen the trio in one place hadn't exactly gone as planned.

Bradley's grin seemed to mock him, but the tone in the Fuhrer's voice was anything but cheery. "Not exactly, though in all honesty, I'm surprised you didn't see this coming. Why, given the news, I'd thought this expected." 

News? What news? Roy's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach as their leader took another step in. 

"We're your protection." Anna offered no further explanation, instead opting to push past the Brigadier, and take a seat at his desk. 

"Glad she cleared that up." Roy resorted to sarcasm, attempting to mask the fact that once again, the three of them had brought him into a state of hysteria. 

He had to stay focused.

"What is she talking about? Protection from what?" There was no use in hiding the irritation in his voice, and Roy was far beyond pretending things were fine. "Is this another Scar? I can handle myself against someone like that this isn't necessary." Not without Hawkeye, of course, but now wasn't the time to bring that little fact up. 

Bradley's eye narrowed for only a moment. From there, he stalked over to the green curtained windows, directing Mustang's attention to the cold streets of central. There didn't seem to be anything different about them in looking, but the Fuhrer's gaze didn't falter. "I'm just taking precautions. We've got a group of rogue alchemists causing problems, and they've put a price on your head. I wanna keep our country's future in tact; so, until this insurgence is snuffed out these two are your first line of defense."

Cody stood in the doorway, still trembling in the Fuhrer's presence, while Anna struggled to keep herself from rummaging through Roy's desk. 

So, he was being watched. 

One step forward. Two steps back.

The Brigadier feigned ignorance, buying into Bradley's claims - and selling exactly what he wanted to hear. "Sir, is this at all related to the woman responsible for freeing Rockbell and the other Elric?" 

Their leader merely nodded, turning back to his subordinates. "I figured you'd catch on. Unfortunately she's gained a following, and as of now, we're not quite sure what their next moves are. They've only made their target clear." 

To Roy's relief, Bradley headed for the door, but Anna seemed dangerously close to his list. 

"Colonel Bacman's highly trained in surveillance, and Colonel Amore may not look it, but he's an expert in combat. These two will remain at your side, and report to you at all hours until the issue is handled. I wouldn't expect this to last long."

Roy stuck out his hand to shake, immediately drawing Anna's attention away from the contents of his desk. Instead, she saluted, beckoning Cody to her side - the two began to recite something that had to have taken at least five minutes of barebones planning. 

"Brigadier Roy Mustang, Sir! It is an honor to be serving you once again, sir! From here out our lives belong to you, sir!"

Their precision was so intense, even Bradley took notice, keeping sure to take a few steps away.

"I'll be in touch, but I'm sure between the three of you, you'll manage to keep yourself alive, so long as you keep to your duties." The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, well revealing the man's age. Was that a threat? It was getting harder to tell...

Roy found himself ushering the Fuhrer to the door. At least his visit was going to be brief, "You can trust I will, sir. I've got a lot to live for nowadays." With a slack jawed grin, and a veil of confidence, the Brigadier called attention to the ring on his finger. "I guess you could say things are turning around."

King Bradley seemed unfazed by the announcement, but provided a quick laugh, and 'Congratulations' before finally striking off towards his office. 

Mustang heaved a sigh, pulling the door shut, his shoulders all at once knotted with stress. That was too close. 

So close to an actual lead... and saddled with two of the most incompetent looking 'bodyguards' he'd ever seen. Moments like these made the Flame Alchemist want to pull on his ignition gloves. 

It seemed Anna was already going through his desk drawers. Fantastic. The Brigadier slid over to his desk, and stuffed his newly decoded list into his pocket. "Body guard or not, you could at least pretend to do your job." He was done playing games. Only a minute in, and these two had pushed the man dangerously close to his last straw. 

Cody still hadn't moved but two steps into his office, and for a moment, Roy's apathy wained. The poor boy was petrified, his body slouched and trembling as if the drop of a pin could set him running. The kid was in over his head, or at the very least, he was a very good actor.

"So what are the names for?"

And there went his sympathy. 

Anna seemed far more direct than before... right? She wasn't like this when everything fell apart...

 

Maybe he was remembering things wrong, but there was a gnawing sensation at the center of his chest that told Roy Mustang something was off. Best to leave the truth as far from this discussion as humanly possible. 

"My fiancé and I are making a guest list for the-." 

“Uh-huh” Anna pulled a chair up to his desk, and kicked back to relax, but her eyes remained focused - drilling straight through him.

That settled it. Anna Bacman had to die.

"I don't agree with what you did to Edward, Sir." Cody's voice was timid, but the conviction in it was ghostly. His eyes seemed a vibrant yellow before Roy recognized their true color, and backed off. One simple flash of gold brought him back months in time, and just as he had all that time ago he was struggling to find excuses. It was reprehensible. Had he really become Bradwer?

"I was following orders. I didn't have a choice."

He'd have to stomach the disgust in Cody's eyes. Was that why he'd been so quiet on the drive to central? Come to think of it, Anna did most of the talking when they'd first met. What that meant for his situation, Roy couldn't guess - but in his own response, Eva's voice seemed to mock him. 'He'd have the man he loved.' This was different. He hadn't lost her yet.

Unlike Eva, however, Cody offered no retort. He shrunk down, and acquiesced. "Yes sir. I just-"

And Bacman was back in full force with interruptions! Oh how he'd missed them. "Cody doesn't like you. He thinks it's better you know this is just an assignment." 

"Colonel Amore can speak for himself." Roy decided. "If he's professional enough to keep his personal feelings aside for his work, he deserves that much." More and more Roy found himself appreciating the boy's disdain for his military facade. At least he knew it was working. For once, Roy found their silence more uncomfortable than if Anna had spoken for her subordinate. He cleared his throat, a weak attempt at filling an uncomfortable situation, but an attempt nonetheless. "Besides that, if you had an issue with what happened you should have done something."

Was he speaking to Cody or himself?

There was a visible break in Roy's act just for a moment, but within seconds he went back to his duties as a Brigadier.

Cody couldn't help but disagree, even if it put his position in danger. "If I had your authority, I would stop the executions."

The Brigadier softened for a moment. He could teach to this, right? "You have the same amount of authority that I had a week ago." In truth, his promotion had only limited Roy's power more... they were living proof. 

Anna grimaced. She was already well acquainted with Amore's moral compass. 

"I mean now." The young Colonel clarified. "You can do something now. You got that power in exchange for her life, the least you can do is use it." Something about his words seemed to wound the Brigadier. Maybe the rumors were true.

How was he supposed to respond to that? Eva wasn't a lesson, or warning sign for anyone but him. The military's insistence that she be remembered that way was maddening enough, but here he was listening to lectures from someone who couldn't possibly understand the truth. With irritation pushing at the back of his head like a mallet, Roy blurted out the first words to come to his mind.

"Changing things now won't bring her back now, will it?"

There was no hiding the emotion in his voice. There was no denying the attention he'd drawn. So much for what little cover he had left. 

Roy stood abruptly, and started for the door, only to have his path blocked by Bacman. "Leave him alone, Mustang. We're here to protect you, can't very well do that with our combat expert dead."

He didn't even have his gloves on...Could he really blame them for panicking, though? Ishball, the Rockbells, Eva - Roy didn't exactly have a good track record. 

"If your combat specialist can't handle a rush to the bathroom, perhaps he needs more training."

What was he even saying? 

It didn't matter at this point. What little composure Roy had at the beginning of the day had dwindled - leaving the man with nothing but pins, and needles to balance his sanity on.

He was losing time on these people. Roy plunged his hand into his pocket. At least the list was still there. The Brigadier allowed himself one sigh of relief before pushing past his bodyguards and heading for the stalls. 

Bacman and Amore followed close behind. Great. 

"I suppose this is required for your assignment, correct?" Why were they so silent all of a sudden?

Regardless, the two managed to sidestep the question entirely, as Roy found himself faced with the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and bourbon. Havoc was a sight for sore eyes, his uniform askew, and eyes bloodshot. He carried a piece of parchment in his left hand, but in seeing his former superior, nearly dropped it to the ground. "I got your message." He glared back at the Brigadier - clearly it hadn't been well received. "You'd better be pretty damn sure about this, Mustang."

The days of blind loyalty had ended; Havoc was more than willing to make that fact clear. 

Roy merely grinned, and patted the man on the shoulder, keeping up appearances for their sake. "You have my word, Lieutenant. While we're on the subject, we'd love to have you on board as our best man. I'm not exactly too popular these days, so we're keeping the reception quiet. Just a few close friends."

Havoc seethed, but managed to return a smile of his own. "Not a problem, buddy. You'll have to take me out for drinks sometime here soon, though. Can't have ya skimping out on me just because you've gone up a few ranks."

"You really think I'd hold out on you over something like that?" 

Havoc had the sense not to answer.

"Tell you what, we'll go out tonight, have a few beers, and I'll let you know everything we've got nailed down so far."

Before either bodyguard could protest, Havoc put an end to the discussion. "Fine by me, but you're gonna pay." 

"I always do." One way or another.


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm super late. Fuck it, here's a chapter you guys. Go nuts.
> 
> Also, this chapter is dedicated to Riley as a thank you for helping me get this story off the ground. Another will be dedicated to Shannon later.

Kurt's brand mark was at the center of his chest. It was dulled, scarred, and highlighted a part of his body he'd rather forget. Unfortunately, when it came to where they'd been marked, Kurt had it better than most. 

Na'ilah had been marked on her stomach. In the early days, her skin stretched as she grew, leaving a wound that would have infected easily all the more vulnerable with time. Eva wasn't surprised to learn the Ishballen woman was Envy's first victim. From there, the brands only got worse.

She was too young to meet some of Envy's finer work - most of them perished in the Risembool Riot - but Daiyu spared few details, leaving Eva with reason enough to keep from trying anything reckless. Though it hurt like hell, the alchemist found herself increasingly thankful for the mark on the back of her neck. Better there, than having her eyes branded shut by the white hot iron. 

As for the others, if their marks weren't obvious, Eva didn't ask. Some memories were better left hidden, and with everything they'd been through, their scars deserved time to heal. 

Freyja kept track of how long she'd been imprisoned with a collection of finger nails she'd bitten off each week. Perhaps when she started, Freyja might have sounded more determined. Now, her words seemed to be the only thing grounded in reality. "2928 days..." she proclaimed, gnawing off her latest addition, and promptly spitting it into a small pile, nestled in a space under the rusted mess that was her bed.

How she managed to keep track of them all was beyond Eva's comprehension, and why their captors let her hold on to them, only brought up more questions. 

"I thought you were gonna keep that shit to yourself." Kurt grumbled. It seemed for him, morning sickness was back in full swing. The sleepless nights he'd endured only added to his irritation. 

With how everyone talked, things sure seemed normal, but now a week into this hell, Eva wasn't buying it. Freyja glowered and flipped the trio off. Though Daiyu seemed oblivious to their antics, the midwife handled the issue as if she were addressing teenagers. "Are we really going to be children today? Again?" She passed off a stethoscope to Eva, who looked all the more confused as Na'ilah's check up went on. 

"What am I looking for?" It was the second time she'd asked. Between all that was happening, and the dread of her situation, Eva couldn't think straight–but Daiyu seemed patient enough. 

She'd clearly done this more times than she could count. Dai gripped Eva's hand, and lead it to Na'ilah's abdomen. "Any signs of movement. A heartbeat would also be nice."

For as calm as Daiyu seemed, you'd still have to be an idiot not to hear the tremble of fear in her voice. 

"And if I don't find one?" 

Na'ilah's breathing only got quicker. They'd need to work on her bedside manner later. "I'm sure you'll find one, Ev, this is just about getting you used to the equipment." 

She was as good at lying as her son was, but Eva had learned how to spot it. Finding movement on the other hand...

"I don't hear anything." Using her right hand was nerve wracking enough, but the idea that she could brush against Na’ilah’s brand amplified her fear. It was better to steer clear of the middle just to be safe.

Her bedside manner wasn't the only thing that needed work. Daiyu reached for the blonde's hand again, "You can't be afraid to go over her brand mark, Fullmetal. Na'ilah's been here for 6 years. It's healed enough."

Daiyu's touch had to be magic. It was as if the baby had materialized beneath her fingers-Daiyu’s guiding touch showing her just where to check to find the signs she was looking for. If only it were that easy when she was attempting it herself. "Does Emily sound like that?" Were all heartbeats that slow when they started out? This didn't feel right.

Daiyu waved the question off. "Yes, all heartbeats sound like that in the developmental stages. It's part of the process. Heartbeats start fast, and then slow down the closer they are to term." 

"Human beings..." Eva mumbled, suddenly awestruck with the very condition that put her behind bars. She looked to Kurt, who had already begun throwing up. Luckily for him, Na'ilah's cell toilet was cleaner than that of the others. Eva didn't miss his suffering, but Dai couldn't keep from chuckling at the situation.

The greatest alchemists across generations, and this was what they'd been reduced to.

“I'd say the refertilization worked this time around."

Kurt put up a middle finger, but couldn't look back to the rest of them yet. Daiyu's smirk would have only pressed him further. "更好怀孕，比无菌*." She laughed again, drawing more than a few looks from the others, but she didn't owe them any explanation. By now she'd taken over most of what needed to be done, but Na'ilah wasn't the only check they were doing today. 

"Did you do everything I instructed?" Daiyu addressed Eva again, this time, and once again the blonde found herself at attention, slightly intimidated by the older woman’s overbearing personality 

"Y-yes Ma'am" she saluted, immediately drawing nervous laughter from their surrounding cellmates.

It wasn't surprising this woman commanded twice the authority that Mustang did. Her tone alone made the young Alchemist rattle off a completed checklist like a trained parrot. Unfortunately there was one question Eva couldn't ignore. 

"I thought Kurt was your assistant for this." As Daiyu turned to respond, the blonde flinched back in preparation for a beating; but this woman wasn't even going to scold her for asking. Izumi wouldn't have stood for that.

Before she answered Eva’s question, Daiyu had a few of her own. "Have you had your own checkups before, Ev?"

Eva’s silence spoke volumes.

"I didn't think so." The Lotus Alchemist shook her head, finally offering an explanation. "So, you're new; you're the second furthest along, and you've never handled anything like this before. If you can't figure why I decided to make you my assistant given the circumstances, I can't help you. Tend to our subject, I’m going to check on Kurt." 

Eva wasted no time, her focus shifting back to the Ishballen woman. There was something magnetic about Na'ilah. From her bright red eyes to her frail, disfigured form, Eva found she couldn't look away. ‘Just Skin and bones’…Eva had heard the expression applied to her long ago - for Na’ilah it was literal. If this was what her future held, Eva could only be thankful for the extra weight she’d put on. Perhaps it was enough to keep Emily safe…

She helped the older woman from her perch, promptly joining Daiyu for further instructions.

"I want you up for examination with all the tools we used today when I get back to our cell, Fullmetal." As Eva and Kurt retreated to their quarters, Daiyu Huojin passed off a few final instructions, and made her way over to Freyja's cell.

"They have your servings tripled again, don't they?" The midwife asked. It was a small victory, but one Dai was willing to take. It would have been impossible to hide the smirk she sported. 

"What can I say? Four Boys" Freyja scoffed and squatted down, gathering her collection of fingernails and placing them carefully beneath her bed. "Guess I'm good at delivering what they want."

Now that wasn't exactly true. "Delivering? You gunning for my job too, now?" Once again, she'd found another reason to laugh. Daiyu took to the floor, and began to collect what few nails remained scattered across the blood, grime, and shit covered tiles. One glance beneath her bed was all it took. In the few, sparse spots that weren't lined with clippings - crumbs littered the floor. She'd already began stockpiling above the bed-frame, and by the looks of it, Na'ilah was gonna need it. 

Daiyu pried herself up from the floor, her eyes connecting with Freyja's only for a moment. Lucky for them, a moment was all they needed. "I don't want any of it wasted, understood?"

The Atlas Alchemist nodded, her gaze falling on Na'ilah in the adjoining cell. "You came all the way across the hall to deliver that message? 2928 days, Daiyu," Freyja repeated the number again, as if it added to her credibility. "I know what I'm doing." She took Dai's hand, and pressed a kneaded biscuit into her palm. "You might wanna remind the new one, though. She might need it."

If history were any indication, Freyja was right. Daiyu quickly tucked Freyja's offering into her shirt and started back to her cell, keeping as orderly as she could. 

In moments like these, Daiyu preferred silence. Familiar sounds seemed to fade into the background when she walked the facility's empty halls; the trickle of running water, and the hum of a draft were white noise at this point. Though it never felt like home, the facility was consistent. Perhaps that's why she felt so uneasy now. Something was missing, but try as she might, Daiyu couldn't pin it down. As she navigated the narrow corridors back towards her cell, it became apparent how wrong she was. Nothing had been taken away, something had been added.

Envy's voice had a way of seeping into their environment. It was the other voice that finally pricked at her ear - that sent chills through her body. 

"Strip down. I wanna see what I'm inheriting." The other voice was seeped in venom.

That was what they'd meant when they branded her. That was the trigger. Somehow, in the anxiety of it all, Daiyu had managed to block out what was going to happen to Eva when the baby was gone. Dai's heart leapt into her throat as her pace increased.

"You didn't tell me it was in this kind of shape, Envy." Dante's ghostly sigh tore through the building like a gust of smoke. By the time Daiyu reached her cell, the monster had already made her points clear. "I knew about the limbs, but this?" 

Eva had been gagged, stripped, and promptly abandoned by Kurt at the first sign of trouble - but she didn't seem scared in the slightest, especially not when Daiyu came into view. 

Dante was a tall, sickly woman, and always smelled of lavender and cream. It was a feeble attempt to mask the scent of rotting flesh, but it seemed to work. Why anyone would decide to show up to this place in pure white was beyond Daiyu's imagination.

The old woman examined the blonde's figure from head to toe - Eva's scowl nearly reflected her own. Still, Dante’s expression softened as she slid her index finger up up the girl's chest. She pulled back, rubbing her fingers together and grimacing at the grime that stuck to her fingertips. This simply wouldn't do. "Weren't you supposed to have it washed and presentable? It's filthy." Not to mention its size - even with heels, there was no way this body would ever be tall enough for her gowns. This new body was her ticket to control, but no amount of emotional leverage was worth this. 

"Sorry," Envy scoffed, granting her an empty apology, "As much as I'd love to waste my time on this worm, I've been a little busy taking care of your old student." By now, they’d been burned, bitten, stabbed, tackled, and shot at for this new body. Envy gripped Eva's cheeks, and reflexively tightened their grasp. "Can you believe the trouble people think she's worth?"At this point, they wouldn't be surprised if the bastard himself showed up. The homunculus shuddered at the thought, and thrust her back against the wall.

"All the more reason for you to have had her cleaned when I said I wanted to look at her." Creeping dangerously close, Dante loomed over Eva’s form. The vice she took on Eva’s left wrist was almost enough to stop circulation. No cuts, that was a good sign. "Son or Daughter?" The question was just a formality at this point.

Envy’s voice took on a songbird like tone, just as delighted as they’d been weeks ago. "Daughter. I get to watch her shrivel up and waste before the transfer." That is, until they realized who they were speaking to...

"What a waste." Dante released Eva from her grasp, leaving her for Envy to deal with.

"If you want another son so badly, make one yourself, just be sure to keep this one alive." What little satisfaction they got from their retort was short lived. Dante didn't falter. Instead, she began scrubbing at the dirt left on her fingers.

"If the next one can follow instructions, I just might." She knew just where to hit them. 

At least now they had a living punching bag to take it out on. Envy dropped her to the hard stone floor, and drove their knee into her chest. 

It took all Daiyu’s will not to rush to her defense again. 

True to fashion, the blonde let out a wail, but kept a scowl pinned to her face. Her expression went unnoticed. 

“The next time I come back, I want it cleaned and presentable. I don’t care if you have to pawn the work off to another birther - just get it done.” Dante didn’t bother waiting for confirmation. There were other arrangements she needed to attend to, but as she drifted towards the door, one final thought caught her attention. “And keep it unharmed. A broken arm won’t do me any good, especially after all we’ve worked for.” Her hand didn't linger on the doorknob long, and Dante gracefully slipped out to the hallway without any goodbyes. Even behind closed doors, the clicking of her heels against the pavement drove nails into Envy's chest. Even after she'd left her step seemed to echo through the facility. 

Dante was gone, and Daiyu had managed to stay completely hidden. Today truly was a day for small victories. 

For a good fifteen seconds no one moved. No one said a word; they didn't have to. A homunculus trembling was a rare sight in the facility. Dante had only been there ten minutes, but her presence had taken over the room, leaving Envy shaken like treetops on a bitter autumn day. Still, they would have to move first. Eva sure as hell wasn't about to throw herself into the line of fire. Daiyu on the other hand...

"Were you this incompetent at following orders before they found you out, or is just my authority you don't respect, Fullmetal?" She stepped forward, her arms crossed and stance strong. That would give Envy something fun to break. 

"Authority?" The homunculus cocked their head back, and cackled, immediately fixing their devil-like stare on the midwife. They'd taken the bait. "What makes you think you've actually got authority here? Twenty eight years behind bars? Don't think your spawn buys you any power here, cause he doesn't." They were still too close to her…

It had to be done. Dai took a step forward, clutching the kneaded bread in her palm. Freyja had been right - Eva did need it - just not how she's intended. "If you wanna start delivering babies, that's fine by me, otherwise-" she let the bread slip from her grasp, and instantly went stiff. "Fuck..." 

Envy's expression was priceless. A crooked smile sprouted across their face, but it didn't matter, by now Eva was the last thing on their mind. 

"No, go on..." the homunculus crouched down, and grabbed the mound of bread from where it lay, caked in dust and soot. "Why don't you go ahead and explain why you're entitled to this? I'll even clean it up for you." As they rose from the pavement, Envy's form began to stretch, becoming more mangled and starved with each syllable. "After all, we're all starving, aren't we? How long did it take for me, Daiyu? Five days? A week?" 

Eva's senses fought against Envy's grotesque new form, but with the gag in place, she found herself swallowing back bile. It was better than choking. 

The beast's legs were stitched to its shoulders, and its arms to its hips, but that didn't stop it from writhing across the hallway like a spider with missing limbs. While her view wasn't pretty, at least Eva had the luxury of seeing Envy's new form from behind. 

What wasn't skin and bones hung loose from her chest like unpressed linens. One eye had been plucked from its socket, the other seared shut and branded. Dai's heart caught in her throat seeing her friend again for the last time. Dead only a week, and Vasha had returned through the very monster that took her piece by piece. 

If they'd tried to say something coherent, Vasha's missing jaw made it impossible to understand. The smell of rotting flesh was almost pungent enough to cloud Daiyu's senses anyway.

Envy sputtered, dropping the bread to the ground once more, and made a leap for the midwife before she could get out of the way. They slammed Dai against the wall, and pressed up against her hips like a sheet of lead.

Eva backed up against the icy cell bars and pulled her legs to her stomach as visions of Sloth flashed through her mind. "Fluorine, Uranium, Carbon, Potassium, Nitrogen, Oxygen..." Her muffled chanting wasn't nearly enough to keep her grounded; it wasn't doing Daiyu any favors either. 

As much as the homunculus loved their new form, it was missing something. They needed to speak. Envy tilted their neck back, as sparks began to scatter across its surface, and a mouth manifested from flesh alone. Much better. 

"Didn't she need it more?" 

Daiyu squeezed her eyes shut, and responded with vitriol. "Eating's a little hard when you're missing a jaw, but you took care of that." If she could just picture them as they always were, this wouldn't be nearly as pain-

Fuck. 

They kneed her in the stomach, and sent her to the ground. Envy circled around the midwife, watching her...mocking her. "Why the hell does this always happen to me? I get two of the most obnoxious worms to look after, and I'm not allowed to tear them apart." 

Speaking of the other one...

Envy turned back to the sniveling husk behind them. "Hero of the People..." they laughed. She was weaker than they'd imagined. What a disappointment. Where was the fun in this? 

The homunculus let out a discontented sigh, and returned to their favorite form. They took two steps to Eva, kicked the bread to her feet, and crouched down to her level. "You probably still think the people that gave you that title are gonna find you. Just a matter of time before it sets in..." they cupped her chin and cut the gag from her mouth. "No one loves you, Eva. No one's coming, and you're not strong enough to get out of here on your own. You've got four months left, but I promise it won't take that long for you to realize you're already dead." 

Through blurred vision, Dai witnessed Eva crack. Though not fully broken, a part of her slipped away as she shivered, mumbling on the floor.

"Aluminum, Phosphorus, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Selenium." Eva's list began to slow to a halt as Envy picked up the bread and rose to leave. 

"Alphonse isn't coming either, Evangeline." They added, turning back once more. Envy's gaze alone was enough to slice through the two alchemists. Finally satisfied, Envy popped the bread in their mouth and swallowed before receding into the depths of the facility. 

Eva's eyes, once so magnetic, now seemed lifeless.

Daiyu pulled herself from the floor, and crossed the hall to where the Alchemist lay. She dropped to her knees, reached for Eva's discarded clothes, and held them out in an act of consolation. "I need you to stand up and walk, Elric. Can you do that for me?"

Eva paused and took in a deep breath as a smirk grew across her face. Though the fire in her eyes had been extinguished, the alchemist's icy smile was as bitter and strong as ever. "They lied to me." She scoffed, pulled herself up. The clothes she'd been offered would have to wait, after all, they still had a check up to do. "Can you believe the trouble people think she's worth?" Repeating Envy's words only gave her strength. "And they're wrong about me too, just you wait. I'm getting us out of here tomorrow." 

Daiyu grimaced at the thought. If today was any indication, there was no way tomorrow would end well.


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

"So let me get this straight," Havoc wasn't buying it, and by the looks of things, the others also needed to be swayed too. Mustang had gotten his former team this far- no, that wasn't true. Riza had gotten her former team this far, but it was gonna take a lot more than that to get them to stay. Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fuery gathered around Riza's coffee table for 'late night drinks' as Mustang tried to bring them around to his agenda. "You willingly bet two lives on the thought that despite how the military has handled things for nearly three decades, Eva wasn't actually going to be executed?" Saying it out loud only sealed the deal. If he wasn't lying, Mustang was crazy.

Looking around, it seemed the only one standing at his side was Lieutenant Hawkeye - though after all the Brigadier had done to her, Lieutenant Havoc had to wonder why. He needed a cigarette 

"Well, if you think about it, I've bet three lives on this. If I'm wrong, then the five of you need to expose my role in what happened to her. I doubt the military will keep me alive when you go public. Use me as your ticket up. At the very least, we need to make sure this never happens again." 

The brigadier took a long sip of coffee, eyeing his subordinates like a sniper. Riza, ironically, seemed half asleep. Given the time, who could blame her; and just how many times had she heard this bullshit?

Fuery seemed to be falling for it, though. That poor man's heart always managed to beat his brain when it came to these things. "You'd really give up your position if this doesn't turn out to be legitimate?" It took so little to impress the bespectacled sergeant. 

“I’ll give up my life," The brigadier corrected, his voice growing solemn. "If it comes to that, I won't resist. Hell, I might even beat the military to it. Do you really think I could stomach killing the only family I have left?"

No one dared to answer. 

Roy Mustang drew back, as if wounded by their reluctance. 

Still, it wasn't enough to settle Fuery's curiosity. They'd only covered one scenario, after all. "So then, what happens if you're right?" 

Havoc rolled his eyes. It went completely unnoticed.

“If I'm right, we'll be exposing the military's corruption from the inside, and the rebellion that's sprung up in Eva's name will have your back. It'll be hard for anyone to argue living proof. We'll be labeled as traitors, but I'm confident enough in Lieutenant Hawkeye's ability to get you through what might well become a revolution. If anyone could do it, it'd be her."

"Yeah, but then what about Fullme-"

Roy answered Fuery's next question before he could finish it. 

“Eva and I will take Alphonse, and get out of Amestris. If war does break out, we need to be as far away from here as possible - at least until things die down. She probably won't take sitting out of the action very well, but at this point she can't transmute, and I'm not taking any more chances." 

Again the room went silent.

The way the brigadier talked made it almost seem real. Luckily, every moment Lieutenant Havoc started to sympathize, something - perhaps Eva's ghost - pulled him back to reality. 

With a resigned huff, Mustang pulled four files from a heap beside him. "Look, I need you 'all in' on this, so if any of you want to walk - now's your chance - I won't stop you. I don't have time to convince every one of you on this given what we already know." 

Breda scoffed. "And just what exactly do you know? Don't you think filling us in might help? You can't expect us to just follow along without proof."

Mustang finished the last of his coffee, and after a tense few seconds of eye contact, looked away. The files were still in his hand. "I can't give you guys anything more than this until you sign on." He froze, clearly toying with saying more, but evidently decided against it.

Breda stood as if to leave, but instead of making it to the door, he stopped in front of the Brigadier and silently put his hand on one of the envelopes. 

It didn't take long for Fuery and Falman to follow like sheep. What the hell were they doing?

Havoc leaned back, and anxiously toyed with his lighter trying to make a spark as the group turned to him. "You can't be serious, right? You guys actually believe this?"

"Not one bit." Breda's answer seemed sensible - his explanation was quite the opposite, "But, if Mustang ends up right, and Fullmetal really does need help, I don't know that I trust to him to handle it on his own." 

At the very least, after Breda, no one spoke up to defend their actions. Mustang's act may have been enough for them, but... 

"Look," Havoc put his foot down, and shot up from his chair, "you can't just lure us into this without proof. When you say 'Eva's alive, I have evidence' you'd damn well better have the data to back it up."

Fuery and Falman had their files flipped open already. 

"That's really all it takes for you guys? The man killed one of us for fuck's sake!"

“The evidence is in the files, Lieutenant. I've offered you everything you need to believe this. Otherwise, you know where the door is. Take it or leave it." The Brigadier began pouring coffee for the rest of his squadron. 

Falman gripped a hand to his mouth. Pale as printing paper, and barely able to remain standing, the Second Lieutenant did his best to keep his dinner down. "These are Eva's reports?"

Riza merely nodded. "Nearly everything we know about this case came from her in one way or another." 

As the Brigadier began passing off coffee mugs to each of his soldiers, Jean Havoc's curiosity finally took control. He let out a sigh, and grabbed the last folder from where Mustang had left it. At the very least, no one mocked his reluctance. Though, in truth, it would be hard to given how absurd everything sounded. Havoc flipped the files open, and started to read. 

Each section was labeled with 'report numbers' rather than obscure dramatic codes. Two pages in, two things abundantly clear:

First off, Lieutenant Hawkeye had been in charge of organization, a fact Lieutenant Havoc couldn't have been more thankful for. Even when he wasn't being cryptic, sorting through Mustang's reports and agendas took as much effort as decoding an ancient language. Though, to his credit, perhaps the brigadier's knack for procrastination had a hand in the problem. 

Secondly, Falman had been right about the reports. Eva's handwriting was unmistakable. It had taken the poor Alchemist quite a while to get used to writing with an automail-dominant hand, and it showed. Why that was relevant...he couldn't guess.

A list of names marked by numbers... a few locations... What did Hughes have to do with this?

Havoc shook his head, and put the folder down, open on the table. He'd have to do better than-

But then Havoc froze stiff, his thumb hovering just below a word he'd read only a year before. "Xenotime..." 

It hadn't even been two years since he'd reviewed her report on that awful incident. A whole town sick with alchemic poisoning, nearly drowned in the process, and... and then Havoc's complexion seemed to mimic Falman's. He needed to sit down.

‘In his attempts to produce the stone, Mugear claimed to have stumbled upon a faster way to make the incomplete product. By slowly introducing traces of his alchemic redwater into pregnant women's systems, natural and alchemic processes would take over, and a more complete stone could be made. The method was only successful once.'

Havoc frantically turned back to the sheet of names he'd bypassed. By the time he finished the list, his hands were shaking too. 

‘Ahja Erwin, Prima Alchemist: 3M, 2/18/1891'  
‘Vasha Molni, Ultraviolet Alchemist: 4M, 8/9/1894'  
‘Celise Elmro, Melodic Alchemist: 4M, 7/3/1901'  
‘Freyja Kasc, Atlas Alchemist: 5M, 10/13/1904'  
‘Olive Delivae, Albedo Alchemist: 3M, 2/3/1905'  
‘Na'ilah Shki, Furnace Alchemist: 7M, 8/17/1909'  
'Hedwig Case, Torrent Alchemist: 3M, 12/17/1912'  
'Diana Hess, Polar Alchemist: 2M, 5/2/1914'  
‘Evangeline Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist: 4M, 9/26/1914'

Jean's fearful gaze connected with Roy's, and finally everything made sense. Mustang merely nodded, his sympathy was all it took.

"Excuse me, Sir..." Fuery spoke up. He looked as if he'd been puzzling through the reports for at least a minute longer than everyone else, "What does any of this have to do with Fullmetal?"

Roy and Riza both seemed to tense at the question, but in the end, it was the Brigadier that had to answer.

“About a year ago Eva and Alphonse took a few liberties in trying to get their bodies back, and it didn't exactly go well. Fullmetal ended up hospitalized after the collapse of Central's Fifth Laboratory, and Alphonse nearly destroyed himself mentally, trying to prove his own existence. After Hughes was killed, she finally gave me her report on the incident. It was like something out of a nightmare. Creatures that could regenerate at will, and take any form, the truth about the philosophers stone... The things she and Alphonse saw that night nearly drove them both to the grave, and there's a good chance Hughes died investigating it further." Roy shut his eyes for a moment, and took a seat on the floor again. 

Breda nearly choked on his coffee, "Wait, hold up, this thing could shape-shift? How? What the hell did it want from her with that type of power?" 

When Roy finally opened his eyes, it was as if there was an electric current keeping them focused. "She called them homunculi, and said they needed her to transmute a philosophers stone. Apparently the easiest way to get the ingredients for the stone involved posing as a high ranking military officer. I guess that comes naturally to a monster that can change its physical structure." His words seemed bitter, but lieutenant Havoc couldn't guess why.

“We think one of these things took her place during the execution. Roy and I don't know how far up the ranks this scandal goes, but the creatures Eva encountered definitely had military ties." Riza added, quickly taking over the conversation. "Given their abilities, and apparent immortality, it makes sense one of the homunculi would take her form in order to keep her at their disposal. If they needed Eva for a philosopher's stone, that would be the time to take her."

Riza’s explanation hadn't helped Fuery at all. "But she can't transmute anything for them right now, right? Isn't that why women are banned from the alchemic division to begin with? Why would they take her if she's pregnant?"

"They took her because she's pregnant." Havoc stated, though perhaps he'd spoken too loudly. In a matter of seconds, all eyes turned on him, and the Lieutenant found himself struggling to justify his own words, especially after making a scene. "Look, I'm only going off what they've given us. See for yourself if you don't believe me." He flipped his folder back to the reports on the red water, tossed it to the table, and sat back, massaging his temples. 

The sooner he could get his lighter to work, the better. 

As soon as Havoc went silent, Riza picked up the torch and helped the others got up to speed, "Pregnancy is an inherently alchemic process, in addition to being biological. The body naturally circulates any energy needed to produce a new life, and naturally blocks any external transmutations in order to ensure a successful full term. A while back the Elrics encountered an alchemist named Mugear willing to exploit this process as a means of producing imperfect philosophers stones. If the military managed to perfect his research, we could be looking at a biological factory unlike anything we've ever seen." 

“Did the woman they experimented on survive the process?" Falman had just finished combing through each line of text. There was no mention on whether or not the experiment was fatal.

Again, all eyes turned to the Brigadier, but Roy seemed at a loss for words. In the end, Riza had to answer in his place again. "We need to act quickly. Any wasted time could take years off her life." 

“We're not going to let that happen." Roy spoke up. He seemed to be struggling with the concept of loss, as if he'd forced it down back when Hughes was killed, only for it to bubble up again months later. There was a kind of vulnerability in Roy's words that Havoc had never seen his superior display before. He'd always been so down to earth about these things, but now nothing about Mustang's expectations was realistic. "Nothing's going to happen to her or Emily. Besides, Eva isn't helpless. She can't transmute now, but there are other ways of fighting back. It wouldn't be like her to just wait around for help to come, she's stronger than that. There's a good chance she'll surface before we even find where she's being kept. We just need to make sure we get to her first"

Just to be clear, Havoc scanned over the list of names again to see if he'd missed one. He hadn't... "Who the fuck is Emily?"

Roy's shoulders bunched, his lips quirking down at the question. He drew in a breath, and sheepishly admitted, "that's what Eva and I decided to call it for now..." Though he'd finished the thought, the pressure to add on to his statement was mounting. He caved. "Speaking of which, if any of you can think of a good name for a boy, now would be the time. 'Adrian' didn't exactly go over well, and despite what she thinks, there's no way in hell we're naming it 'Edward'."

Maybe he wasn't acting out of obligation. The way the Brigadier talked almost made it seem like he actually loved her... 

“Careful there, you're starting to sound like Hughes." Havoc finally flicked his lighter on, and lit a cigarette. One breath of smoke was all it took for his nerves to calm. Just what he'd needed.

"If I end up half the man Hughes was, because of Eva, it'll be an improvement. Don't expect her to suddenly turn into Gracia, though. She literally didn't have any pants that weren't leather, and I doubt that'll change any time soon."

“When did you fall in love with her?"

Now that was a question Roy was more than willing to answer, but it had come from Lieutenant Hawkeye…

"That first day at our bar, we were talking about Eva, right?" Given his fixation on her, Riza seemed surprised she hadn't caught on sooner. There wisdom in her voice nearly hid any traces of heartbreak, but it wasn’t nearly enough. 

“Yes, we were. Though it took me a lot longer than I’d like to admit to realize what she really meant to me.” 

Roy’s shame nearly swept the room, but Riza never let his feelings take control. She remained calm, stoic, and above all, she controlled the situation. “Listen, if we’re going to help you bring her back, you at least owe us the truth. I can’t promise you anything more until I know when it started. So please, sir, for my own sanity, when did it start?”

All eyes fell on the Brigadier, and Roy let out a heavy sigh. There was no getting around it. He crossed his legs, folded his arms, and sat back - ready to relive one of the darkest times in his life. “Neither of us took what happened to Hughes well. I think that’s when things really started to change...”


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

Bloodshot eyes and a wrinkled uniform. The ride to Central had been hell, and Roy Mustang looked the part. Seven hours overnight on wooden seats would have been enough alone, but somehow he’d managed to pick the one train into the capital that made three emergency stops. Whatever conspiracy Ed had gotten himself tangled up in sure as hell wasn’t worth this. 

Lieutenant Hawkeye seemed almost indifferent to what they’d both just endured. How she managed to always look professional even in moments like this, he’d never know. Perhaps it was the lack of coffee, but in that moment everything she stood for became an irritation. 

“We should probably get to the hospital.” Riza’s chipper tone was a grating reminder: morning people couldn’t be trusted. “If they haven’t checked out now, they’ll at least be gone by noon.” 

Edward Elric had a reputation for vanishing, but luckily for the Colonel, he was becoming a bit more predictable after four years of service. If only that predictability applied to everyone. “I thought you said we’d have an escort to the hospital. Isn’t Hughes supposed to be here?”

The Lieutenant scanned the area, and within seconds spotted a familiar face. “I’m pretty sure plans have changed. Whatever happened must have done a number on his limbs.” She gestured to the Rockbell girl, and started forward. “You’d better contact the hospital just in case.”

“Seeing his mechanic doesn’t mean-“

She was gone before he could finish protesting. Today was just getting better and better...

Roy yawned, stretched, and slowly staggered over toward the telephone booths. As the crowds began to dissipate, the Colonel finally saw reason in Riza’s words. Edward may as well have been a beacon; his vibrant red coat made it seem like he was the only one in the station. There was something unsettling about the alchemist’s expression that Roy couldn’t pinpoint. He’d have to get closer. The Colonel straightened his uniform, marched up, and smirked, giving what he considered to be a pretty good performance. “Surprised to see you up and moving, Fullmetal. Looks like we weren’t needed in central after all, remind me to thank Hughes for the-“

Ed bristled back, and a shudder tore through his body, but it seemed Roy’s teasing had gone unnoticed, and for good reason. “No! That’s not possible, Al and I-“

He was trembling...

“Listen to me!” Ed pleaded, his tone going frantic. “We saw him yesterday! I don’t know who you found, but it’s not the Lieutenant Colonel...”

Roy took a step forward as the alchemist went silent. There was a fear in Ed’s eyes unlike anything the Colonel had encountered before, but what could he do to fix it? Edward put a hand to his head, his fist coiling like a knot around the phone. “Maes Hughes-“

“Mr. Elric, I’m sorry for your loss...”

And the same fear that had taken Fullmetal swept over Roy like a freight train. There was no mistaking what the Colonel heard. 

As nausea crept up the back of his throat, the Fullmetal Alchemist took action. Edward slammed the phone down on the receiver and turned to find his path had been blocked. 

Colonel Mustang may as well have been a wet sheet of muslin - his typical power-stance was nearly crumbled and his complexion cold and pasty. 

He didn’t have to say anything. Roy knew. All at once the world went silent. The rush of the crowd and ever present call of the train whistle couldn’t possibly compete with death’s aftermath. 

Somehow both alchemists managed to keep composure, at least until their eyes met. Roy was the first to break.

He lunged for the phone, misdialing Central command three times before finally managing to get the number right. This wasn’t happening. It wasn’t possible. As soon as he was patched through, Roy’s tone took the fire he was known for. “This is Colonel Roy Mustang. Someone from your division decided it was okay to play a sick joke one of my subordinates. I’m calling to find out who exactly I’m going to need to report.” The woman on the other end of the line didn’t answer right away, but that only made things worse. Was she laughing or crying? The Colonel scowled and reiterated. “Edward Elric just has a brush with death, and you have the audacity to toy with him like this? I want the name and rank of the soldier that just called here. That’s an or-“

The phone must have changed hands, because the next voice he heard was at least an octave lower.

“Maes Hughes was found dead this morning. One of our own came across him this morning around 5 in a phone booth just outside Central command. He took a bullet to the chest.” Suddenly, Roy felt the cold grasp of automail around his arm, and Ed pressed the phone back in place before the man on the other line could say anything more. 

Was it better to stay silent? The station sure wasn’t. Train whistles and rushing crowds were cause enough for anxiety without the news, but somehow, it all seemed to drown out as Edward winced. His apology took only a glance, his golden eyes drawing out a guilt that now rested heavily on both of their shoulders. When he’d finally managed to put it to words, there was something terribly plaintive in his voice. It was clear his next question didn’t come naturally. “Are you okay?”

But Roy couldn’t answer, and his legs were about to give out. The Colonel slowly lowered himself to the step beneath the payphone. His expression was nearly nonexistent. It was as if the man on the other line somehow managed to sap any remaining semblance of emotion from the Colonel in a matter of seconds. 

In the time it took Ed to seat himself beside his superior, he’d managed to come to terms with the idea that the Colonel wouldn’t be answering. “We need to get to Central command, and find out what happened for ourselves before they can cover it up.” Edward’s fist curled tight at the thought, “I’m not letting this end up like-“

Roy’s shoulders felt like they were made of lead, and his head might as well have been spinning with all that was going on. When did it happen? Did his family know? Suddenly his eyes connected with Ed’s. He’d had almost forgotten the alchemist was still there. In looking down, Roy found his fingers instinctively intertwined with Ed’s, and anxiously thumbing over his automail. It didn’t last. 

“Brother! Lieutenant Hawkeye and the Colonel came all this way to make sure we were okay!”

Al’s jog slowed considerably as soon as he caught a glimpse of the scene. There was something haunting about both of their expressions, but Mustang’s entire body seemed almost bloodless. His mind went to the only place it could.

“Sorry, sir, we should have told you sooner it’s just-“

Edward shook his head, stopping Al’s torrential apologies like a dam “Something happened to Hughes...” 

“The Lieutenant Colonel? What happened? Is he okay?” Sure, he was a little taken aback, but there was no way he suspected the truth. Al was too optimistic for his own good. 

Roy’s shoulders tightened at the question, and his throat caught tight on the answer. Again, Ed was saddled with the explanation. Based on his expression, Roy guessed it was just as difficult for Fullmetal to pull it together. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Ed on the verge of tears, but it was the first time Roy had been on the brink with him. “They found him this morning... We don’t know who’s responsible yet, but-“

“Is he in stable condition? Why wouldn’t the hospital say anything about it when we checked out?”

Ed had never been good at keeping a poker face when it came to loss, and today proved no different. A pitiful ‘Al-‘ was all he’d managed to get out before the younger Elric took control of the conversation once more. By now, Alphonse had finally caught on. 

“...Brother?”

Ed didn’t give him the chance to finish. He stumbled up, and walked right into his brother’s open arms. “I’m sorry, Alphonse.”

Al pulled his brother in close, and his body began to quake. Maybe he couldn’t cry, but this came pretty damn close.

Edward pulled away, raking a few stray tears across his coat, but Roy didn’t move an inch.

It only took one glance at the two for the Colonel’s world to come crashing down. They’d always have each other. Hughes was dead.

Hughes was dead and he had to show calm and composure in this moment of grief. He was a soldier, and his rank meant he had a job to do before he could take care of himself. So he pulled himself up, and stood there, stark still...let the brothers comfort each other, knowing to let them alone for this moment.

He would have to tell Gracia. He would have to tell her that she was a widow, and while Maes had died a hero, in that moment it was not something she would want to hear. As much as he had pretended to despise the man and his company, he had grown close enough to know the family well. This was not a call he had ever wanted to make, but now--

A hand tugged on his sleeve, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Colonel,” Ed spoke cautiously, but his words came over Roy as if they were echoed. This couldn’t have been easy for him either. “Do you think you can make it to Central Command?”

Roy couldn’t find the right words yet, and his legs were about to give out. 

The Elrics exchanged a glance, and as Al began to speak, Ed took his superior’s waist, keeping him propped up like a scarecrow. They’d have to lead him to the Lieutenant.

Somehow, Central station was always managed to feel frenzied between departures. Even with Ed to keep him steady, Roy had a little trouble staying balanced amongst the oncoming chaos that came with railway travel. 

Lieutenant Hawkeye, however, seemed to be the only one unaffected by whatever magnetism had each passenger on edge. Instead, she remained ahead of schedule, and uninterested in the surrounding crowds. Winry on the other hand, looked as if she was about to short circuit. Riza and Winry had found each other almost effortlessly. 

It wasn’t difficult for Hawkeye to find them. Ed’s cloak was anything but subtle, after all, and a six foot suit of armor wasn’t exactly difficult to spot. Roy’s stomach turned knots as the Lieutenant’s eyes met his. Nine feet away and she’d still managed to read him like a detailed report. Her stoic expression slipped only once, but in that moment, intuition wore it was clear on her face. Riza knew something was wrong and as she started forward, her pace only matched her concern. 

Unfortunately, Miss Rockbell was far less perceptive. Concerned with schedules and luggage, she trailed behind spouting complaints the Elrics had already moved beyond. By the time she’d caught up, any sympathy her problems could have garnered was impossible to provide. “You really couldn’t have gotten up sooner? We’re stuck here for four hours, Ed! What are we supposed to do until then?” 

“Winry!” Alphonse yelped, unamused. “I don’t really think now is the time for--.” He started again, but before he could finish, Roy cut him off.

“We need to get moving.” It was hollow, disconnected, as he slowly started to hear and understand the voices around him. “We don’t want to make a scene.” He blinked, looked up, and there was Riza. “Lieutenant? When did you get here?”

Riza took in a deep breath, and placed a cautious grasp on his shoulder. “Sir…” she seemed to struggle with her words for a moment, but it didn’t last. “We took the train this morning. Colonel, what’s going on?” 

The Lieutenant’s grip tightened, causing Roy’s arm to slowly purple, the distinct indents of her pristine nails dotting his skin. Thankfully, Ed took a step forward, his right arm still wound tightly at Roy’s waist. Fullmetal’s explanation was brief, but oddly comforting - that is, as comforting as it could be. “Al, why don’t you and Winry call us a car? We’ll explain on the way.”

 

The streets of Central were blindingly bright, but as the afternoon stretched on, the city seemed at odds with itself. Aside from the occasional group of children at play, the roads were completely barren. What the hell were they doing? Had he ever been like them? Roy found himself wracking his brain to remember his life before the military, but it was hard to think of anything but Hughes. Nine years in the military, and Maes had managed to remain largely optimistic. As for how he’d managed it…that was something the Colonel would never understand. 

By the time they’d reached Central Command, the ‘how’ and ‘why’ surrounding his death seemed almost completely inconsequential. Roy would have those answers soon enough, and if the investigative soldiers didn’t already know who was responsible, he’d be the one to take the killer down. The Colonel managed to step out of the car on his own, but every step past the first felt weighed down by lead. He had to be calm...in charge of the situation. With Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Edward Elric by his side, it was easy to act commanding. Hell, giving orders was almost easy as they approached the investigative team. 

“I want to know the weapon, time of death, and I need a record of everything leading up to the murder. Understood?” Before anyone could answer Roy felt something catch in his throat at the sight.

Broken glasses, a blood soaked uniform, and a discarded photograph.

They hadn’t even moved him yet.

Edward Elric was trembling. That, in it of itself was enough to send a shiver through the Colonel. Roy took in a breath, blinked back any hint of sorrow, and to his surprise found his orders met with reverence from Fullmetal. Shortly after they’d finished gathering intel, a shaken Ed took Roy by the arm this time, and pulled him far away from the crowd. 

“This is my fault.” Ed didn’t give him time to disagree with the statement. His ramblings were too fear fueled to cut in. “Major Hughes died investigating an incident I couldn’t handle on my own. His blood is on my hands.”

It took the Colonel a moment to sort through Ed’s words, but in time he reached a conclusion. “No, Edward.” Roy shook his head, his face frozen in as neutral of an expression as he could muster. “You couldn’t have possibly known that it would end this way. Besides,” he said with a sigh. “There’s no point in arguing over whose fault it was. We have more important things to worry about now.”

As Roy turned to walk away, his hand caught on Ed’s once more. “Listen to me, dammit. You need to back off on this. I’m not gonna be responsible for your death too.” 

A flicker of frustration, his jaw clenched tight. “No, you listen to me, Fullmetal. This isn’t just about you anymore. If Hughes is dead, it’s because he couldn’t defend himself. That doesn’t mean I won’t.” He spat, the words stinging like acid through metal.

If ever he were deserving of a punch to the face, it was now, and Edward delivered.

The Colonel fell to one knee, clutching his cheek in shock. The blow had been too quick to dodge, and he recoiled, tasting blood. He couldn’t take back the words he said, but he had enough dignity to be ashamed. Standing, he simply hung his head, refusing to meet Edward’s gaze. “No point in blaming ourselves. There are more important things for us to do.” Roy caught Ed’s look of shock as Al pulled his brother aside. 

“Brother,” it seemed he didn’t know how to bring up the issue, “Doctor Davis wants to make sure you’re okay after the accident at lab five.” Edward flinched back at the suggestion. 

Roy quirked an eyebrow, puzzled. “Weren’t you just in the hospital?”

Again the boy drew back. “Charles doesn’t trust other doctors.”

It was a weak excuse, but Roy let it slide. “Well don’t want to keep him waiting. I can handle things here while you’re gone, Fullmetal.”

Ed squeezed his eyes shut and turned away, muttering a grim ‘Let’s go, Al’ before disappearing into the crowd. 

 

Dead overnight, and buried the next afternoon. As a mid ranking officer, Colonel Mustang was used to funerals by now. Soldiers at the front lines saw death on a more personal level, sure, but even behind a desk it was impossible to detach from it entirely. Within each stack of paperwork, Roy received, there were inevitably lists of casualties. There was no escaping it. Hell, by the time he’d reached his 50th funeral, the ceremony had nearly lost all its meaning entirely. Just swap out the names, families, and bodies…nothing about death ever changes. Nothing changes until it’s someone you know.

For the first funeral in five years, Roy found himself at a loss for everything. Words, emotions, expression…they all seemed to fail him when matched with Gracia’s tears, and Elicia’s screams. Like every other funeral, Maes’ was over as soon as it began. Death’s routine hadn’t let up long enough for Roy to catch a breath. Luckily, the easiest way Roy could drown his sorrows was right around the corner. As soon as he found himself alone with Hughes’ headstone, it was time to get to work. 

The body’s composition would be easy enough. After all, if the Elrics could get that close to human transmutation it couldn’t be hard. Roy drifted into the nearest bar, his mind already pinpointing what he’d need for the transmutation, when suddenly a familiar face caught his attention.

Edward hadn’t managed to make it to the burial. 

Roy stalked over to him, hands balled into fists. “So this is where you’ve been hiding,” He bit out, his blood pumping like fire through his veins. “For someone who claims to care so much about how he died, you sure made a poor effort to attend his funeral.” He couldn’t bring himself to say Maes’s name. Saying it made it real. Saying that Hughes was dead would be too much for him to pretend anymore. 

Edward glared, fist tightening on what was decidedly not water. “I’m here for the same reason you are, Colonel.” He didn’t even bother looking up. It was as if he’d been carved of iron and left to rust; by now, even the bar stool had become part of the sculpture. “Just order some whisky and shut up, alright?” 

The bartender, who had heard every word from halfway across the bar, glanced at the Colonel, who stiffly nodded and gestured a request for two. Turning back to Ed, he snapped, “I came here to face my problems, not hide from them.”

“I’m not hiding from-” Ed nearly spat an explanation, but went stiff as soon as his eyes met with Roy’s. “I need this, okay? You of all people should understand.” Ed lifted his glass, and waved it directly under the Colonel’s nose.

A bruise was blooming around Ed’s left eye, purple turning slowly to green. There was no way he’d had that this morning, no matter how Roy looked at it. “Understand?” He spit back sarcastically, “Understand? Here’s what I understand. You abandoned your friends in their time of need because you what, needed to get into a drunken bar fight?”

“If I’d been in a bar fight, this place wouldn’t be standing, would it?” Ed’s voice was almost somber, but it was hard to tell with everything else at stake.

Roy was silent until the bartender placed a glass in front of him, which he drank liberally before replying bitterly, “You never have been one to clean up your own messes.” He sighed, taking a smaller sip from his glass.

“Fuck you.” Ed scoffed, pushed his bourbon aside, pressing two fingers to his temple in irritation, then immediately winced at the pain. 

Once again, the bartender was quick to respond. “You gonna need that ice pack back?” 

Though the alchemist flinched, Edward waved him off without a word. 

“Now wait a minute, Elric,” The Colonel caught their bartender - who by now seemed more than eager to get back to the kitchen - by the sleeve. “If it wasn’t a bar fight, how the hell did you end up with a black eye?”

“Why the hell does it matter? I took care of it, okay?” He folded his arms, pulled the bourbon back, and finished the glass off. The dejected tone in Ed’s voice was anything but bitter. “Besides, you came up with a pretty good story all on your own. Might as well stick to it.”

“Don’t give me that,” He began, letting the poor man go after retrieving the ice pack from his trembling hands. “You believe in equivalent exchange, right? After all the support you’ve shown me today, I should do the same for you. Now, how the hell did you get that?” He finished his glass. “Weren’t you with Doctor Davis all day?”

Ed immediately reached for the second glass, but before he could-

“That’s mine, Edward. You want one? Get your own.” There was a smirk on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“What happened to equivalent exchange?” the alchemist laughed, waving for another round. The bartender didn’t dare return now.

The Colonel shook his head, but offered the glass up without further persuasion. “Guess you got me there.” Roy chuckled, and almost immediately amended his statement “We’ll split it.”

Ed managed a false smile, and gulped down a swig of whisky. “Thanks, I don’t think we’ll be getting another round anytime soon, anyway.”

Roy had to hand it to him. The way he’d completely avoided the question was almost admirable. Clearing his throat, he brought up the next thing on his mind, “You said it was your fault he died. Why?” 

Again, Edward gave no answer, but with as much as he’d said, it almost seemed like he did. “I told you, it’s better if you stay in the dark. You wanna go digging around through the files on lab five, be my guest, but your blood won’t be on my hands too.”

The Colonel studied the amber liquid for what seemed like a minute. 

Ed’s ice pack lay carelessly on the counter, now more water than anything else.

Something had to give…

Roy Downed what remained of their whisky, and let the words slip out, his eyes fixated on the bottom of his glass. “I wanna bring him back, Ed. Can you show me how?”

Had the glass been in Edward’s hands it would have shattered.

“You and Al came close that night, your survival is proof enough. If we work together on this, I’m sure we can-”

“People don’t come back from the dead…” Ed’s voice sounded labored, and almost completely lifeless, but he made sure Roy was listening. He pulled the glass away with one hand, and pulled Roy’s chin up with the other, ensuring their eyes would meet. “Don’t pretend the rules of alchemy don’t apply to you. Do you really wanna throw your life away?”

Roy didn’t reply, any semblance of words caught in his throat. His gaze fell to the tabletop, unable to hold eye contact. What life?

Edward waited for an answer, but quickly realized he wouldn’t be receiving one tonight, and opted to pay his tab instead. “We should probably get going…”

The words caught in his throat finally dislodged, but his voice sounded hollow as he spoke. “What time does your train for Dublith leave?” Maybe he wouldn’t even answer that, but Roy had to try. 

“You just asked me about human transmutation...” Ed almost laughed at the notion, but his tone softened in asking, “You really think I’m gonna skip town after hearing something like that? I’m not letting you end up like I did, Colonel. I don’t care how alone you think you are. You’re not, and I’ll prove it to you if I have to.”

Roy didn’t want to answer until he was able to think of something cynical, but strangely, nothing came to mind before Edward spoke up again. 

“Where are you staying tonight? I’ll walk you there.”

The Colonel didn’t need time to consider the offer; after rattling off his hotel address, he took to following Edward’s lead rather well. He paid for the drinks, nearly double their worth, and as the two made it out to the dimly lit streets, it was easy to take comfort in Ed’s strength. Ed was carved out of iron, and even when weathered it showed. Something about him seemed different, but Roy knew that couldn’t be true. Perhaps...

He’d have to address that thought another time. 

Roy’s hotel wasn’t too far out. Though he and Ed walked in silence, when they’d reached their destination it was hard not to wish they had more time alone. 

Edward turned to the Colonel, took in a deep breath, and suddenly looked away. “Hughes was researching a group of people that called themselves Homunculi. He knew too much. They needed me in order to make the philosopher's stone. I couldn’t do it. I can’t stop thinking that if I had died-“

Roy’s heart nearly caught in his chest, and before he could think it through he’d pulled Ed into a tight hug. Maybe it was the shock of human contact, but something about Edward’s presence brought the Colonel to tears. “I lost my best friend today, Fullmetal. Don’t you dare make me think about losing you too.”

There was no way he’d be able to take those words back, but a part of Roy didn’t care. He needed this, and any retort Ed might muster didn’t matter at this point.

“I’m keeping myself alive for as long as it takes to make things right with Al; I can’t do that if you try to do the impossible.” Edward’s words were just as comforting as his embrace. Unfortunately, Ed pulled away as soon as he’d spoken. “Can you keep yourself alive for Hughes?”

A shudder ran through Roy’s body at Ed’s words, but there was no denying the impact they’d left. Colonel Mustang was far beyond speaking at this point - a nod would have to do. 

With a weak smile, Ed pulled him back in for another hug. 

It didn’t last nearly as long as it should have. 

 

. . . 

 

“I think that’s when it became something more…” The Brigadier admitted. He’d come to terms with is connection with Eva long ago, but admitting it in front of everyone else seemed to alleviate any remaining fears Roy had. Still, it was hard to read how the truth had gone over. Though Havoc, Falman, Breda, and Fuery seemed convinced, Riza was a tough sell. If Roy had won her over, he couldn’t tell. “Everything I know about Eva tells me she’s alive. She may not be able to transmute right now, but there’s more to her than that, there always has been.” 

Riza’s expression hadn’t faltered, but as soon as Roy went silent, she found it easy to speak her mind. “That doesn’t mean we have much time.” She stood, and abruptly began gathering each shred of evidence they’d accumulated in the last few weeks. “If everything in these files is true, and I’m willing to bet it is, then…” her voice trailed off when Roy’s eyes connected with hers. “Then I’m in charge of this operation. We don’t need some lovesick fool dictating how we go about this.”

“Being in love doesn’t make me incompetent, Lieu--”

“No, but it does make you reckless.” The way Riza responded made it almost seem as if she’d planned for this argument. “How long did you two spend on your escape plan?”

The Colonel nearly choked on his lack of response. 

“We can’t risk rushing in on a lead that turns out to be nothing. There are too many lives at stake. If we organize a rescue mission and get it wrong, it’s suicide no matter how you look at it.” With each file gathered, Riza changed course, and placed them covertly in an Amestrian text on firearm safety. “You’re in love, and you’ve got a child on the way - there’s no way you’ll be rational when it comes to this investigation. I cannot allow you to put us in danger.”

Roy seemed to have reservations, but they didn’t last more than a minute. “If that’s what it takes to bring her home safely, I’ll follow any orders you have for me.” It felt weird to be yielding to his former fiancé, but if anyone could handle this, it was Riza Hawkeye. 

With no time to waste, the Lieutenant began listing off assignments, as if she’d planned them hours in advance. “Al and Winry pose too much of a threat to our objective for now. We can bring them in when we have Eva under our protection; until then, Falman, I want you to ensure they stay away from everyone involved. Havoc, keep Mustang’s ‘bodyguards’ away from this too. If they aren’t spying on him, they’re a liability, and I shouldn’t have to explain the danger we’ll be in if they are gathering information. Fuery I need you to look into Mugear’s research methods. Be sure to check for any correlations between the military’s alchemic studies, and his. Breda, look into the incident at Xenotime. We need to know if anyone ever survived the process Mugear used for the philosopher’s stone, and whether or not those facilities are still being utilized. We’ll meet here once a week, but I want progress updates daily, understood?” 

“I’ll go get some more coffee and reread everything in case there’s something I’ve missed.” Roy smiled weakly, emphasizing the bags under his eyes. “Unless there’s something else you had in mind, Lieutenant?”

“You get some rest tonight, and meet me outside Central Headquarters tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give you your assignment then. You can’t run on determination alone, and you aren’t doing anyone any good by pretending you can.”

Roy was quiet for a moment before he spoke. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure how much sleep he could get, even if he tried. He continued to smile as best he could, replying with a, “If you think it’ll help, I’ll see what I can do.” He was more than worn out. He was falling apart. Riza was right. He needed sleep, and he needed it yesterday.

Lieutenant Hawkeye took a deep breath, and started ushering the rest of their team out. “You can stay here tonight. It’ll help with our cover, and there’s no way your apartment is in any liveable state.” As soon as the others left, Riza returned to where Roy sat, disheveled, exhausted, and nearly unconscious already on her red leather couch. “We’re going to fix this, Colonel.” 

“‘s Brigadier.” He muttered, almost asleep.

Before his head hit the nearest pillow, Roy found a blanket tossed directly at his face. “Let us worry about Eva for tonight. For now, just get some rest.” With the lights switched off, and everything in order, Riza started upstairs to take care of her own exhaustion. Creaking stairs and an empty house did little to combat Roy’s thoughts, but at this point, the atmosphere was a welcomed change. As he settled in beneath an old patched quilt, Roy found himself faced with one saving grace. He could put Eva out of his mind for now. After all, the Lieutenant had said nothing about worrying about Emily.


	30. Chapter Twenty Nine

As soon as Eva met Alva, she could tell the woman was marked for death. She was younger than Daiyu, sure, but carried little of the strength the midwife had in her shoulders. Alva had birthed 13 children successfully, but by the time she’d hit 35 her luck seemed to be dwindling. In all honesty, her misfortune could probably be attributed to the environment - freezing cells, small rations, and a perpetual state of fear aren’t exactly ideal for this sort of thing. Now, at 37, the woman looked almost as picked clean as Na’ilah, her skin just as leathered; four months in, and already starting to show. Regardless of strength, as Eva saw it, being marked for death was the surest reason Alva could have to fight back. There was nothing more she could lose, every reason to try escaping. She was the perfect recruit. 

She was the only recruit. It didn’t take Eva long to learn why.

“I’m not getting involved.” Dai folded her arms, her eyes still vacant after their encounter with Envy. “I’ve seen this before, Fullmetal - we lost a lot of good women because of it.” There was no way she’d be able to stop Eva, but Daiyu had to try. “You really think you can escape this on your ego alone?”

But Eva wasn’t biting. “Why don’t you ask Kurt? He’s seen what I can do.” She shot a tired glance over to the man, who seemed a little more than irritated to be brought into this. Eva leaned against the door ready to jump whatever came through, Alva at her side. They’d have to open up sooner or later.

Kurt rolled his eyes, unamused. “Yeah, I know what you can do. That’s why I know to stay out of this.” He itched at his scalp, nails searching for a distraction and maybe an early meal. “All you ever cause is trouble. Besides, you’re pretty useless with that baby bump of yours.”

Eva sputtered, trying to respond with a clever retort, but all that came out was a mess of empty syllables, a fragmented, “Not useless! Okay? Not the Colonel! Hero of the People!” ...and she’d just lost any chance of Daiyu’s support. 

Alva put a finger to her lips, trying to shush the young alchemist, but Eva seemed caught up defending her reputation. 

“Not...Not that he’s completely useless, I mean...he’s the Hero of Ishbal for a reason.” She was floundering at this point, but all went quiet when Alva grabbed her arm. Alva was right...she was losing focus.

Daiyu narrowed her eyes. If there was one thing she knew about the war in Ishbal it was that plenty of innocents were slaughtered in the name of the state. Many by alchemists like her son. Taking a sharp breath in, Dai turned on her heel, deciding that this conversation was not worth continuing in the direction it was heading.

Maybe not asking Freyja to join in was a mistake...sure she already owed the woman a hell of a lot for those extra vitamins, but if Kurt and Dai weren’t willing… Eva’s thoughts began to trail off as they waited. How was Alva able to stay so focused? A grin slowly crept up her face - sure the time had passed for a comeback, but it didn’t really matter in Eva’s mind. “Besides, Alva’s only a month behind me, and I don’t hear you calling her useless.” She folded her arms over her stomach, and smugly shot a glance back to Kurt. 

“You sure she’s at 5 months, Dai? She looks like she’s pushing 6.” He snarked in return, knowing full well what trouble he was causing.

Daiyu huffed out a sigh. “If the two of you are done squabbling, I’d like to catch up on some sleep before this trainwreck.”

“Maybe we’d have better odds if we had a little more help.” Eva muttered. She braced herself against the door, hoping beyond all else that they were at least close to putting their plan into motion; but the facility offered only ambient whispers as a draft tore through. Where the hell were the homunculi? She pulled back, only to find Kurt staring intently. Eva softened her tone, but had to ask, “Change your mind, Hess?”

Kurt snorted, “Of course not.” He shifted mindlessly, attempting to find a more comfortable position, despite knowing full well there wasn’t one anywhere in his cell. He shrugged, and stalked out to where Eva and Alva stood. “Not much passes for entertainment in here. Personally, I hear it’s going to be one hell of a show.” He gave a mock salute, but found it quickly interrupted. He hadn’t been expecting her to get so close. 

“I’m not pulling theatrics, Kurt. Either step up or back off.”

Alva grabbed Eva’s arm again, but it wasn’t nearly enough to get her attention this time. 

Kurt barked out a laugh. It was short, and harsh. “Except you really, really are. ‘m I right, Dai?”

Daiyu pulled a pillow over her head, flopped back onto her lumpy mattress, and replied with a muffled, “I said I’m not getting involved.” 

Eva grimaced, but had to turn her attention back to the task at hand. “Fine, just stay outta my way. I’d hate for you to get hurt.”

“I think I’ll manage.” Kurt picked at his fingernails. “Just be sure to tell the others to give you a wide berth--I mean, soon you’ll be bigger than you are tall. Though to be honest that isn’t too hard.”

That was it. In a moment of rage, Eva turned back to Kurt, but with the door finally thrown open there wasn’t any time to react. As Sloth stepped in, Eva found her only option, gripped Kurt’s arm, and thrust him into the waiting homunculus. The force alone was enough to knock her to regeneration. 

Kurt Hess, let out a loud ‘Fuck’ and pulled away from the immediate danger only to find himself saddled with exactly what he’d wanted to avoid. Eva took Kurt by the hand, and before he could even catch his breath she and Alva made sure he wasn’t left behind. 

Where was Envy? By the time she’d began to question it, it didn’t really matter. The layout was exactly the same. Each hallway was exactly as narrow as before, and each turn led to another area they’d explored in the abandoned Risembool lab. If they’d duplicated the facility to a tee that meant-

Eva stopped abruptly, nearly knocking the others to the ground in her haste.

“Elric?!” Kurt snapped, “What the hell are we doing? I thought you said-” 

It was dark, and nearly impossible to see, but sure enough as Eva looked to the ceiling she found their ticket out in a familiar trap door. “Up there!”  
This was it! Eva’s heart caught in her throat only a moment before reaching for the ladder they’d used to escape the first time - but it quickly sank to the pit of her stomach. It wasn’t there. "No… no this isn’t right. There were steps!” Eva rushed to the other corner, and found it bare as well. “They were supposed to be here!” She screamed, and threw her fist into the wall, but barely made a dent. 

Alva looked to Kurt, and immediately took to hoisting him up.

They weren’t even close to reaching. 

There had to be another way out, but as Eva frantically scanned the area she found only another air duct. It was better than nothing. It only took three kicks with the automail to get the grate off. “GET DOWN HERE!” 

The fear in Eva’s voice alone was enough to get his attention, but Kurt had to let out a scream of relief at their new escape route. 

Kurt leapt down from Alva’s supportive brace and sprinted over to the now open vent. “If I get stuck in this, I swear to god, Elric-”

“JUST GO!” Eva all but forced him in, and quickly darted over to Alva. She had to be next, there was no getting around it. Both dropped to their knees, but Alva seemed to be gesturing for something. It didn’t take long for Eva to understand what she meant.

“I’m not gonna make it, okay!? Just--”

As soon as Eva met Alva, she could tell the woman was marked for death. It just didn’t happen how she’d thought it would. Envy’s bullet tore straight through her skull and lodged in the wall behind them. 

Acting purely on instinct, Eva dove after Kurt, but try as she might, it was impossible to pull herself in past her chest. She had two options: claw herself into a losing battle or...

Time was up. 

Eva took a huge breath as Envy took her leg, and let everything out in full force, treating them to a hearty kick in the teeth. She was on her feet, and damn tired of running - maybe if she got back to the others they could overpower the both of them. Doubling back towards the holding cells, the alchemist sprinted, soaked in her friend’s blood, and a thick coat of dust. She just had to make it to Daiyu. If she knew Kurt escaped she’d have to fight back! They all could get out as long as she made it back to Dai. She was calling!

“Eva!” 

Evangeline shut her eyes, and ran right into her arms. But it wasn’t Daiyu’s voice she’d heard, and those weren’t her arms either. “You always did find a way to drag everyone around you into trouble, didn’t you?” 

Sloth doubled down on her vice, and again Eva felt like she was going to be sick. It wasn’t until their eyes met again that Eva began to fall apart. “Mom…. Mom I’m sorry. Please, I can’t do this. Please don’t hurt me.”

Her smile was enigmatic, but the woman’s soulless eyes only seemed to push things further. “Envy, be a dear, and take care of her please. The other one won’t get far between now and the drop.”

“What drop?” Eva tried to back away, but Sloth pulled her into a tight hug and began stroking her hair. “I don’t understand. Let me go!”

Within moments, Envy arrived to take control of the situation, applauding all the while. “Been a while since we’ve had any fun like this, I should thank you.” Envy bowed, mocking her fear entirely. No sooner had Sloth let go that Envy took the older Elric into their clutches by the braid. Maybe they could get in a kick to the chest for good measure. She’d be harder to carry incapacitated, but it was better than fighting the whole way. “You know, Sloth, it is about time we put the pit to use again. Good call. I’ve gotta say, I’ve missed it.” 

“You can’t do this to me…” Eva’s words had become muddled with exhaustion and terror, but they stopped entirely when Envy’s thigh drove into her chest. With her body dragging heavy against the concrete, Eva was pulled back through the door, and passed Kurt’s cell.

Daiyu… Where was Daiyu? Everything seemed to go red all at once. Was it her blood, or was it-?”

“She didn’t know, Envy. She’s only got four months left.” 

Was that Dai?

It had to be.

“Zip it, hag! Or do you wanna be next?” Envy seemed almost eager to drag her down too, but their impatience seemed to be winning over. “That can be arranged.”

Daiyu didn’t say anything further, and for that, Eva managed a sigh of relief. Emily began kicking -- pounding against Eva’s bladder. 

“That’s what I thought.”

Just for a moment, Envy let her go, and Eva’s eyes shot back open finding Dai effortlessly. There she stood across the way, bruised and beaten, but still in her cell. What was she whispering?

I’m sorry? Goodbye? Eva couldn’t tell before her body began to quake. Something heavy and metal hit the ground beside her, the vibration enough to shake her back to reality once more. The pit. She’d nearly fallen into it back in Risembool, but this time Winry wasn’t there to catch her. This time, there was no escape. As Eva hit the ground she found herself bitterly staring up at the homunculus. “You bastard…”

Then, Envy’s smile doubled in size, and as they pulled the hatch shut once more, they offered their own final words on the matter. “Pleasant dreams, Fullmetal.”


	31. Chapter Thirty

Izumi’s revolution…

At the end of the day, Roy had to hand it to the woman - they were fighting for the same cause, and the riots had painted the perfect backdrop for their raid. No one would even notice them before it was too late. It was impossible not to find solace in the idea that they only had hours left before he’d be able to hold her again. Roy had his gloves pulled on, and her coat draped over his shoulders like a shroud. All it had taken was a firsthand report. He’d have to thank the man later for bringing them this far, but for now - there were more important things to worry about.

The moment the Brigadier arrived, he knew this was the place. It had to be. Riza Hawkeye was never wrong on these things - and the lab they’d found fit the bill. Bloodsoaked floors, narrow winding corridors; the halls were nearly dark as the night sky, but at the rate they tore through the building that hardly mattered.

“I want her found alive, and brought back to our headquarters. Understood?”

There wasn’t nearly enough time to answer before Hawkeye had questions of her own. “Any signs of surveillance?” The Lieutenant kept up easily, already armed, and not much for stealth. 

Whatever answer Fuery could give was gonna be useless. Still, the Sergeant aided as best he could, heaving a labored, “Audio rigs,” as he tried to match their pace. “But whatever cover we had we’ve already blown.”

Where the hell were the guards? Unfortunately, with every turn and door thrown open, Eva was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, Roy let himself remember what it had been like the first time she’d vanished. The adrenaline, the fear. The familiarity was almost enough to calm his nerves, but Roy Mustang knew better. As if he’d find her wedged in another air duct, completely unharmed. He had to be realistic, and whatever state she was in was gonna take a lot more than confessions of love to quell. 

“Here!” Roy’s voice nearly broke as he rounded a corner. He started up a set of well-worn stairs, the team quickly behind him. Before he knew it Roy stood in a huge room bathed in moonlight overgrown with vines. Alchemic equipment lay shattered and dusty against white tiled floors. This was it, alright- just as Russell described it. “He said they’d keep test subjects in his holding facility.” 

“Third door on the left, behind the fifth bookcase on the right.” Havoc barely beat the Brigadier to the punch, but considering the amount of times he’d brought it up, the entire squad had it memorized. Sure enough, the mansion’s third door gave way to the library, and with one shelf pushed aside there wasn’t much that could keep Roy from barreling down another flight of stairs towards a faint light. He’d been right. Why the hell would they be keeping this place lit if not for the prisoners? 

Roy’s legs pounded at the same rate as his heart as he broke down the door, giving way to dust, debris, and emptiness. The stillness in the air was stifling, as if someone had forgotten to let the world breathe in this place. It was supposed to be chaotic, full of constant movement, not this.

Riza drew aim, ready to catch the first sign of movement, but when nothing arose, she lowered her pistol, and turned to the others. What was clear to the rest of the team in seconds took time for the Brigadier to grasp. 

His stride was still fast, as if his legs were unable to still after everything, like a wind up toy spun too tight. 

“Sir,” Riza’s voice fell on deaf ears - the empty cells and barren walls seemed to mock his frenzy. “Colonel-”

“I told you, it’s Brigadier. And we’re wasting time. There’s got to be more, there’s got to be-” The last words left his lips as he reached the end of the hall, falling silent as emptiness reflected back at him.

Havoc took a step forward, but Riza was the first to arrive at the man’s side. “Mustang, we need to get out of here, if we draw any more attention-”

“Split up, search the rest of the house. We’re not leaving until we find them.” He stood stiffly at attention, his eyes alert yet unfocused. His hands were shaking, searching for a target he wouldn’t find.

This time, the Lieutenant took direct action, standing right in his line of sight. “Roy - she’s not here. We need to leave before we put her in more danger.”

“They aren’t here.” It came out as a whisper at first, then louder. “They aren’t here.” Spoken on repeat, a broken record stuck in place. He turned back, searched every cell, every nook and cranny, muttering the sentence absently, unaware that he was speaking aloud. His pace was still quick, strides unbroken. He was a soldier, would keep searching until something caught his eye.

Silence had fallen between the team, eyes darting to meet each other’s gazes. Havoc fumbled for a cigarette, trying to find a way to ease his discomfort. Roy caught his hand before he could light it, insisting, “You aren’t smoking around my wife and daugh-” He stopped, dropped his hand. His gaze turned once more to the space around them, empty cells surrounded by empty walls. His posture shifted, no longer tight and stiff. What the hell was he doing? “I’m sorry I took you away from your posts for this. It won’t happen again.” He refused to meet anyone else’s eyes as he started out the way they had came.

“Colonel…” Riza was the first to follow his tracks, catching his pace without much effort. “Colonel, the location was wrong, that doesn’t mean-”

He didn’t even bother to correct her. “It means another dead end. It means more searching, more questions than answers.”

“We know she’s alive, we just got it wrong this time.”

The words echoed with no one to hear them. Roy had left as quickly as he’d arrived, leaving everyone behind to grapple with reality. It would take a long time for him to grasp the truth. They didn’t speak after that, the air still practically poisonous between them. Havoc’s unlit cigarette still hung from his fingers. It slipped away just as they left, the only sign they had been there at all. Emptiness returned to the place, as it had been long before they arrived.

There was no Eva, there was no, Emily, and for the first time in months, there was no Roy.

 

Three months. Wasted. 

Roy sought comfort in a bottle of his favorite whiskey. By the time he was able to stare at the empty bottom, he had come to the same conclusion that he’d grown accustomed to.

All of this was his fault, had always been. Ishbal, Hughes, Eva, Emily... His hands twitched, fingers clenching and unclenching around the empty bottle. He stood and collected the papers he had hidden away from the world. The false book he retrieved them from was unassuming, but never opened. Sitting back down, he stared at everything he had scratched out in his own hand and varying degrees of sobriety. 

The stack of papers divided easily into two categories. The note-- his final goodbye--and his research. Things like this take careful planning. The note needed to be expanded. The list seemed to grow infinitely, his mistakes long and detailed. The research had been unaltered for some time. He just hadn't decided to use it yet. Seeing it brought him a small comfort, knowing he had it to fall back on when he needed to. 

The way things were headed he would be unsurprised if that time came soon.

“Roy,” Hawkeye pulled the door to his office open, letting in a sliver of light. It was blinding in the dim light. “Good news, we have a lead.” As quickly as he’d gathered his papers and stored them away, Riza began unloading a number of her own in their place. He didn’t have time for this. “Apparently Diana Hess was spotted-”

“Hess ‘s dead.” Despite his state, there was something sobering in the Brigadier’s words. “I burned Eva alive. We can’t keep pretending there’s something more goin’ on here, Lieutenant.”

Riza wasn’t about to let herself get interrupted this time, and continued through his self-loathing bullshit. “Diana Hess was spotted a few months ago outside of central. We have reason to believe she escaped from wherever they’re keeping Eva.” She eyed a stack of empty bottles beside his desk - how many had he gone through? “We pulled a lot of strings so you could work from home, Mustang - you really wanna waste that drinking yourself to death?”

Pulling a flask from a drawer he glared back, his eyes bloodshot from the alcohol and lack of sleep. “‘Course not.” He shot a sarcastic smile in her direction. “I’m goin’ out in a hellish blaze. You wanna watch?”

Riza tore his secret stash away, and swapped it for one of her files. “I think you’ve had enough for tonight. Sober up. I’ll bring you something to eat, but you need to finish looking over these files. We’ve got a meeting with the others downstairs in ten minutes.” Before he could protest, Riza was halfway out the door, at the very least, she was good at blocking out the light. “This changes the game, Colonel.” She pulled the door shut, and before Roy could process what had happened, Riza’s footsteps were barely audible as she walked down the hall. He didn’t bother to correct her, not even under his breath.

 

At the very least, the meal she’d brought him was filling. Though, if his other flask had anything to say about it, there was no way he’d be sobering up tonight. Eva’s coat… since the day he’d moved back in, it hadn’t left his sight, at least when he was home. Taking a large swig, he made an attempt to stand, swaying slightly, and pulled it over his shoulders. It was gonna take a lot of effort to make it down a full flight of stairs.

Stumbling down the hall, he paused at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall when he quickly found he needed to pause. Below him, he heard a heated argument already in progress.

“No. I don’t care. I’m done.” Roy’s face broke into a frown. He knew that voice, especially that tone. “Hell, if he’s not even buying this crap, why should we?”

“If Hess is alive, that means we were right about most of this. Maybe they aren’t being used for philosophers stones, but there’s too much evidence for this all to be a coincidence.” Riza seemed desperate - she was losing them.

“Eye witness reports are wrong all the time! Hell, Falman, you of all people should know that! We need to face the facts.”

“We aren’t just talking about one witness, Havoc - there was a report done. Published. Photography - you really think I’d make that up?” Falman shot back, dumbfounded. 

“We’re chasing our tails! How long are we gonna follow this bastard? Huh? Hell, I can’t believe we’ve given it this long. You’d think after breaking into three separate abandoned buildings we’d catch on - but no. I don’t care that he’s crazy. I don’t care that he’s drunk, that bastard killed Fullmetal, and you want us to follow him to our own graves. Shouldn’t be surprised he’s following Bradwer’s footsteps.” He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. “Hell, maybe he should.” Roy clenched a fist, a lancing pain in his chest nearly causing him to fall over. At least Havoc had come to the same conclusion he’d reached. “Guess that's where he learned to sell people out, at the very least he can learn to take death the same way.”

He was right. 

Roy had heard enough. It was time, and in that moment, he was glad he was prepared, knew exactly where his research was. Stumbling back from where he’d come, he slipped back into his makeshift office. Snatching the book from where he’d stashed it, Roy pulled Eva’s coat from his shoulders, and held it close one last time, then folded twice, placing the note on top. Both were left on his desk, empty of all paperwork.

Surprisingly enough, the stairs were easier to descend this time, knowing what lay at the bottom. His eyes met with Riza’s, but by the time she’d realized what was happening, Roy had reached the car. Blizzard or no blizzard, he was taking care of this tonight, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. With a flask in one hand, and his notes in the passenger’s seat, Roy sped towards his death. He had nothing left to lose.


	32. Chapter Thirty One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys this chapter is particularly rough, and true to life. Take care in reading. If you're curious about the concepts used in this chapter please read this: 
> 
> https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/twilight-sleep/

Dai had always been resourceful, thrived in an environment of chaos that required only what she had at her disposal. In Xing, that meant working with whatever herbs and minerals they had on hand. Here she had two assistants, forceps, and whatever the hell the homunculi had in that damn syringe. She had heard them call it ‘Twilight Sleep’ once, but sleep was the farthest thing from it. The women in labor would thrash and scream, fighting against anyone and anything that came near them. It made things far more complicated, in her opinion.  
Na’liah, despite her frail and emaciated figure, was a force to be reckoned with after they had pumped her full of the stuff. 

“Eva, I need you to get her arm, okay?” Daiyu huffed, knotting Na’ilah’s left leg down into a stirrup. 

They’d brought Kurt back without one of his arms, but given the circumstances, Daiyu would take any assistance she could get. Eva certainly wouldn’t be much help...

After her time in isolation, it seemed Eva had lost what little fire remained in her eyes. As Dai saw it, Kurt had gotten off easy. The fact that they’d brought him back alive was more mercy than she’d thought possible from the homunculi. As for Evangeline, her state was almost expected. They never came back from the pit the same as when they went in. She sure as hell hadn’t… Dai had to repeat herself, “Ev’ get her arm and hold her down. She’s not gonna remember any of this when it’s over. I promise.” Her voice was soft but inconsistent, wavering as Na’ilah’s nails dug deep into her skin.

Eva seemed to snap to attention, as if programmed to follow any and all instructions, but she kept silent. The metal pressure on Na’ilah’s arm was enough to elicit a scream. Just as soon as she’d pressed down, Eva let go. “Fullmetal, pull it together.” Kurt’s tone was far in contrast to Dai’s, trying to get Eva to return to some semblance of herself. He already had Na’liah’s other arm held down, but there was no way he’d get it restrained if he didn’t have the help he needed “You’ve got more limbs than me now. Use them.”

“Is...is she okay?” Eva had managed to find the words this time, but Dai didn’t dare answer. It was near impossible to take action against Na’liah’s thrashing. Evangeline took a few steps back, finding comfort against the corner as far away from the birthing chair as she could get without leaving the cell. Eva placed jittery hands over her stomach and took a deep breath. It took all the strength in her legs to keep herself standing. Pressed against the white tiled walls, her eyes wide open and bloodshot, with her index fingers plugging her ears, the alchemist looked as if her soul had escaped her body.

In that moment, Daiyu found herself struck with Eva’s hollowed image and a sinking feeling in her chest. Her cheeks were already sunken in - and in the few months since she’d been taken into the facility, Eva looked more like Na’ilah than any of the other birthers in the facility. How had this happened so quickly? She’d come into this place blazing… left everyone scorched. 

Now? No matter how she looked at it, now had to be temporary, and Daiyu was determined to make sure it was. She looked down at her hands, crossed the room, and tightened Na’ilah’s arm to the chair’s arms. Harsh, grated screams shook the birthing facility rotten until the Ishballen woman’s vocal cords dulled and nothing but air escaped. Cries for help, and anguished screams silenced.

Na’ilah wasn’t going to survive this, and if the homunculi continued to push her, Eva wouldn’t either. 

Dai wasn’t about to let that happen. “Keep her down as best you can!”

Kurt followed orders as if he’d been working besides Daiyu for ages. He gripped her arm into place, and thrust his body to Na’ilah’s chest. She wasn’t going anywhere. Another cry echoed through the facility, though by now the mud, blood, and piss stained facility walls had absorbed enough anguish to fill several lifetimes. Aside from the trio, only one birther remained and Freyja wasn’t exactly keen on witnessing any more death.

Daiyu pulled her gloves off in one swift motion, and marched over to Evangeline. One snap of her fingers was all it took to pull her from dead eyed fear up to panic. “Fullmetal, listen to me.”

Eva pulled away, her back pressing on the icy cell bars, and only met her eye to eye when Dai had her by the arm. Daiyu held out a towel, and put it into her right hand.

“I need you to tie this towel around her face. We need to keep her from biting and keep her down.”

“Biting? Breathing...” Eva’s eyes kept drifting back to the sight. Na’ilah’s arms and legs bound… the claw marks on her skin and blood that came with… the energy that had taken over her body… “She can’t-”

Dai put a hand around Eva’s waist, and lead her over to Na’ilah. She placed the towel beneath the Ishballen’s head, leaving both ends up for the alchemist to tie down. “If she can scream, she can breathe. Ev’, make sure she can scream, alright?” 

Eva nodded, as her entire body quaked. With her mouth bound, Na’ilah’s screams only got worse, though it seemed everything was tied down. Daiyu beckoned to her assistants, but even from where she stood it was possible to make out their patient’s words. 

“You’re next… Stop them... You’re next...” though her words sounded muffled it was clear they’d gotten through to Evangeline. As soon as they’d left Na’ilah’s lips, Eva’s legs gave out, and she’d scooted back into the corner on her palms. 

“I can see it. It’s going to be you!” Her voice didn’t even sound human anymore. 

“Dammit! Kurt, calm Eva, now! We don’t need this.” She was already crowning, but Dai’s heart drove into her throat at the sight. The child’s skin was nearly blue. Twelve years a midwife, and the sight was still enough to send her into a panic. Any more excitement would have Na’ilah writhing within her restraints once more, and again Kurt followed instructions to a tee. He dropped down besides their youngest and wrapped his arm around her back. 

“It’s okay, Ev…” Kurt, despite everything between them, seemed the closest to bringing Eva back to reality. “...she’s not gonna remember a thing. This is just how it works, okay? Look at me. I promise. I survived this. You’re-”

“It’s...purple …it’s purple…” Eva couldn’t keep her eyes off of Na’ilah, and Kurt was doing all he could. “Why is it purple? Kurt-” She began to curl in on herself, and before Kurt could say anything Eva shut her eyes tight and plugged her ears. She’d become louder than Na’ilah, though not by much. “Aluminum, Phosphorus, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Selenium. Please, Molybdenum, Thorium, Erbium. I love you…I’m sorry. I love you… Aluminum, Phosphorus, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Selenium. I’m sorry.” 

Kurt pulled Eva into a tight hug.

In truth, he was probably just as fearful… the last two had gone over so much easier. Though still on the floor, and barely keeping it together himself, it was easier to make things calm with Eva mumbling into his shoulder rather than an echoed cell. “Just keep your eyes shut, Ev.” 

“Gracia...she wasn’t…” Somehow the elements kept cutting in - “Aluminum, Phosphorus, Hydrogen…” but Eva clenched a fist and managed to finish her thought. “It wasn’t like this. She wasn’t tied down. Why is she… Nitrogen, Selenium… This isn’t right… let her go.”

“I can’t do that, Ev…” Daiyu marched past her assistants over to where her tools lay, pulled her gloves back on, and grabbed ahold of her forceps. The faster they got it out, the better Na’ilah’s chances of survival were going to be. “Kurt, keep her eyes off the birth and get as far back as you can.”

“No shit, Dai! What else am I supposed to do?”

“Nothing. I can handle it myself.” Dai barked, turning back to Na’ilah’s figure. “I can handle the birth.” Support the head, birth the girl, clear the mucus so she can breathe… If she’s alive stabilize the baby and Na’ilah… there was the placenta to worry about...there was already tearing to attend to. As Dai turned over her steps again and again, the same words she’d spoken came out as a whisper. “I can handle the birth.” Now it was just a matter of believing it. Things had a habit of becoming dire in the worst way, but if Daiyu could just keep one of them alive, it would be worth it. At the very least she’d avoid another punishment that way. 

Though she couldn’t hear, Daiyu did what she’d done years before. Perhaps it was a comfort at this point, coaching Na’ilah through with the very words they’d used when her son was brought into the world. Back before they had to do the work themselves… before there were cells. “Come on, Na’ you’ve got this. We’re gonna take this nice and slow. Breathe.”

Na’ilah’s verbal response came in the form of an agonizing wail, but physically she was half way there. One more look at the child near born told her all she needed to know, but Daiyu continued speaking as if everything was fine. “That’s good. She’s perfect. She’s gonna change the world someday, Na’ilah. I promise.”

“She’s not breathing.” Eva tried to get up, but found herself held in place. Kurt was doing his job. “Why isn’t she breathing? She’s purple.” When Eva found she couldn’t fight back she needed answers, and as hard as they made the task at hand, Daiyu knew she had to answer. “Dai, Emily’s purple. She’s not breathing. She’s not moving. Why isn’t she moving? This wasn’t supposed to-”

“Emily’s fine.” Exhaustion echoed in her voice as Daiyu took the stillborn in her arms, and crossed over to the table. Emily was fine, but there was no hope for the Na’ilah’s daughter. Thank hell the cord was still attached. “But this one didn’t make it. Eva, close your eyes for me, okay?” Tears always made work much harder. Dai could barely see. She forced them back down, and cradled the child in the towels they’d been provided. As Daiyu worked, she found herself racking her brain trying to remember this little girl’s name. “Lei-nah… Lei-nah’s gone, so I need to make sure Na’ilah’s stable. We’re not done yet.”

But they were done. Daiyu returned to Na’ilah’s side, with her stomach in knots. All at once the small victory she’d found turned dire under the dim facility lights. The cord had snapped, and with the placenta ruptured there was nothing she could do. Dai’s forceps slipped from her fingers, clattering down onto the floor. Daiyu turned back to Eva and Kurt with an expression that said it all. Now she was shaking too. It didn’t take long for her to join the other two on the floor in the corner of the cell. “The….the cord…” her voice trailed off trying to find the words. Na’ilah had gone silent. “Na’ilah’s not gonna make it either. It’s done.”

Kurt shifted his attention to his best friend. No words he could bring would be any solace in the moments that followed, but he could rub her back. It was a matter of time before Envy and Sloth showed up and split them apart again. 

“She was too small.” Eva’s voice cracked, as reality settled about the trio. She shook her head, repeating the sentiment over and over. Eva closed in on herself as Kurt and Daiyu found comfort in eachother, but it didn’t take long for Daiyu to pull Eva into her arms. 

Three prisoners huddled on the tiled floor for comfort - for protection and let time pass.

“She’s Ishballen, right?” Dante’s voice crawled through the halls, and set Daiyu frozen until heeled footsteps stopped right behind them. “Pity. At least we didn’t lose another Amestrian. I thought your midwife had things under control.” 

Dai didn’t dare speak, and pulled the others closer. 

Envy didn’t seem to have any problems butting in. “But she’s an Ishballen. These ones expire faster. It’s common knowledge. I told you we should have-”

“So, you’re wasting resources the inferior.” The old woman scoffed, and swiftly opened the cell, stalking not over to Na’ilah, but to where Eva sat. Daiyu never had the nerve to look her in the eyes before, but now that Dante insisted she wish she’d stuck to her guns. They were empty, and all consuming, and uncaring. “If you let this happen to my body, the deal is off. Understood? Roy gets nothing.”

Dai nodded, and backed up against the wall, leaving Kurt and Eva side by side.

“Stand it up. Strip it down.”

By now they were used to the routine. Kurt had Eva stripped and presented within seconds of the order, but there was no way Eva would be able to keep it together. 

She held her arms out, though they trembled with exhaustion, and kept her expression as stiff as she could. 

Dante circled Eva as if ready to strike, but kept glancing back to Envy. No need to address the birthers anymore. “It looks like a corpse. You’re starving my body.” Though Envy opened their mouth to complain, Dante wouldn’t allow them to get a word in. “We’re past starvation, Envy. The spawn is coming no matter what - do you really want me to end up like that thing over there?” No need to gesture, Na’ilah’s presence was evident. 

It seemed even Envy was at a loss for words, but Dante was through. She put her foot down, marched out of the cell, and left the door open. “You have thirty eight days to make sure it’s ready. Envy, do yourself a favor and for once in your life, don’t fuck this up.” She kissed their cheek, patted them on the shoulder, and with a snap of her fingers had them escorting her out of the facility.

As the two reached the cellblock door, Envy found orders came naturally once more. “Get back to your cells, worms.” but as soon as they’d left things fell silent once more. The stench of death had already begun to permeate the whole block.

Eva couldn’t take much more, and quickly joined Kurt on the ground, and it didn’t take long for Daiyu to follow suit. Collectively drained, shaken, and raw, Daiyu wrapped one arm around Kurt, and one around Eva. What could she say? What could she do? “I won’t let them hurt you.” 

But, Eva had heard those words before. Now coming from Daiyu, she laughed at the sentiment. Roy was wrong. Daiyu was wrong. Thirty eight days... There were no more tears left to spill.


	33. Chapter Thirty Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a really bad place right now, but I needed to post this.
> 
> This chapter and the next are at the characters lowest points. There is no where to go but up.

There are lots of easy ways to die. It’s the reality all Amestrian soldiers learn to cope with. Some deaths were gruesome - Ishbal had plenty of those - and he’d been responsible for a massacre’s share. Come to think of it, he should have ended it before then. Before Emily, before Eva… hell, before Hughes. Still, few deaths were poignant, but that’s not what he wanted. Sometimes the military had the sense to recognize a hero, but most soldiers fell and were buried uncelebrated. Eva should have been a hero… but her death was celebrated anyway. It had been an event. Riots and partiers took the streets, and in the wake of chaos left a rebellion keen to take her killer down too. Despite the efforts spurned by rebels this had proved a challenge, but tonight Roy would beat them to it. He had to. 

Death was the only thing that made sense anymore. His notes on the subject - though old - were solid, and even in his drunken stupor would be easy to follow. No amount of secret codes could make him forget the steps he’d need to take. He’d read them too often anyway. Luckily, the outskirts central were rife with abandoned buildings, getting there on the other hand required skill on his part.

As snow beat down upon Roy’s windshield, he began wishing for the first time in months that he were sober. After all, the longer he spent driving towards death, the slimmer his chances of making it there in time. 

What good had he done anyone anyway?

The end result was always the same. 

The world would have been a better place without him in it, and it was finally time to fix the world’s mistake.

Black ice was never good for driving, but it didn’t take long to find a building that fit what he was looking for. Looming, empty, abandoned, and final. Roy Mustang slammed on the breaks, but the car spun out and struck against a brick wall. With the door ripped open and nearly flung from the vehicle himself, the Brigadier managed to stumble into the icy snow amongst glass and debris. Roy pocketed his notes just in case, alongside his last bottle of booze. If he was finishing it tonight, he was doing it how he’d always intended. 

Snow soaked socks, and shoes. This certainly felt like how his it should start. It was almost funny, really. His whole body ached, but it wouldn’t matter in a few minutes. Pain really was temporary. He took a drink, finally at the threshold. With one transmutation, the door’s rusty padlock blasted off, leaving bits of metal scattered and searing against ice. 

Roy tore open the thick metal door, shut it behind him, and trudged into the abandoned warehouse with nothing to gain. It didn’t take much to locate each corner of the building. The layout was simple, and that was for the best.

It was time to make the array. Gloves aside, he knew the whole thing well enough to do it from memory. At least he’d brought chalk this time. From each corner, Roy traced into stone the very formula that had destroyed everything with meaning. It was hard not to think of his first alchemy lessons. Things seemed so simple back then. Sad, but simple. The Anrava Orphanage for boys… wasn’t that place just down the road? His memories of that place were a blur anyway. It wouldn’t matter in the end.

Finally at the center of the floor, Roy flopped down on his back and stared up at the ceiling. It seemed to go on forever, though in fairness it was still hard to see this late at night. 

Another drink, and a withered deep breath… this was what emptiness felt like. Could he even bring himself to cry? Certainly not for his own death, but for everyone else? Did he even deserve tears at this point? 

Of course not, but that didn’t stop them from falling.

For a moment, it was easy to lay there in silence, listening to the building ache as the wind tore by. It wouldn’t last. It was finally time.

When the building went up in flames, everyone would know, but no one would be able to confirm it. Unlike Eva’s death, it wouldn’t be a message, or a means to an end… his would be meaningless it was what he deserved. One last drink, a toast to what was gone, and the lives he’d destroyed. They deserved far better than the type of rest he’d likely get when this was over. By the time the flames reached him, he’d already be unconscious.

Roy Mustang propped himself up, his eyes slowly adjusting to the night’s flames, and put his hands to the circle. All at once, blue light engulfed everything, and at each corner flames crawled up toward the ceiling. The smoke that followed would take care of everything soon. Minutes in, and Roy found it easy to let go. He took a deep breath, coughing smoke and soot, laid back down, and waited for death. As his vision began to fade, a final figure surrounded in flame came into view. Eva. She was just as he’d remembered… bright… blazing… and his flames were taking hold of their last victim. 

In the darkness he could almost hear her voice. 

“Colonel stay with me, it’s going to be alright.”

Was it really going to be okay? How could it? 

“I need you to stay awake for me, can you do it?”

Roy shut his eyes, whispered her name, and let her take him.

They'd all be safer now.


End file.
